Ghana Planted 5 Million Trees In A Single Day!

Why Did Ghana Plant 5 Million Trees?

Over the past few decades, Ghana has seen a massive expansion of agriculture, mining and logging. The country’s forests have been decimated, and in recent years, Ghana has lost its forest cover faster than any other country in the world. From 2017 to 2018, Ghana’s rate of deforestation increased by 60 per cent. Overall, forest cover in Ghana has dwindled to less than a fifth of what it was in the 1990s!

According to President Akufo-Addo, “The exploitation of forest resources for national development has not been sustainable over the years. We don't have tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to do this. We have to act now," he said in a speech.

The “Green Ghana” Tree-Planting Campaign 

With a long-term goal to combat deforestation and replenish forest cover within Ghana, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources designated June 11th as Green Ghana Day! To kick off the inaugural event, the government distributed over 7 million seedlings across the country to be planted. So, why the sudden and ambitious action to plant trees?

Well, in a video uploaded on Twitter, President Akufo-Addo said “Our very existence is tied directly to the survival of trees. So on Friday 11th of June, the tree-planting exercise will ensure that we are not only sowing seeds just for one day, but also for generations to come. Let us make Ghana green”. The campaign was spread on social media via the hashtags #GreenGhanaDay, #GreenGhanaProject and #LetsGoPlanting.

The National Effort To Plant 5 Million Trees

The massive tree-planting event brought together all walks of life — from schools, faith-based organisations and political parties, to corporations, media, celebrities and traditional leaders. A variety of fruit, crop and ornamental tree seedlings were distributed to Ghanian businesses, parks and schools — they were even handed out in shopping malls. Amazingly, by midday on June 11th, a whopping 2.7 million seedlings had already been planted!

According to the Forestry Commission Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, “The Green Ghana Project is national in character, and aimed at awakening national consciousness for everyone to plant a tree in their backyards, open spaces, school compounds, 100 meters from a road, among other places, and should be a collective effort by all”.

Ghana’s Green Future

The government of Ghana has big plans for Green Ghana Day in the coming years. But to celebrate the event’s humble inauguration, President Akufo-Addo planted a lignum vitae seedling at Jubilee House. Often referred to as the “Tree of Life”, lignum vitae has extraordinary medicinal qualities, and is one of the world’s strongest species of hardwood!

With the astounding success of Green Ghana Day, in 2022, the government plans to quadruple the number of trees planted from 5 million to 20 million! Again, in 2023, that number will more than double to reach 50 million. Amazingly, in 2024, this number is expected to reach a whopping 100 million! 

Green Ghana Day isn’t just about planting trees — it’s also an annual reminder to take care of existing trees and ensure their survival for generations to come.

Proudly Offsetting Our Carbon With Greenfleet!

Here in Australia, we’re lucky to have organisations like Greenfleet who work extremely hard to reverse deforestation and biodiversity loss by planting native tree species. Plus, Greenfleet’s forests absorb carbon from the atmosphere, improve soil and water quality, and provide vital habitats for native wildlife!

Did you know that Flora & Fauna offsets its carbon emissions with Greenfleet? That’s right! We are proudly working with Greenfleet to offset the carbon emissions that are produced when we operate our business; this includes the electricity in our warehouse, office, internal operations, transport emissions, and your parcel deliveries!