N/R: Advans Ghana plants over 550 trees in Zuggu to reverse the impact of climate change
Advans Ghana Savings and Loans has encouraged Ghanaians to cultivate the habit of planting trees to help replenish the country’s ever-depleting vegetation. It said that would also help to address issues of climate change and its devastating impact on both mankind and the environment.
Ghana’s annual deforestation rate since 1990 is estimated at 0.6 percent, while the country’s rainforest is under severe strain due to human activities including illegal mining and illegal logging.
Speaking to Zaa News on the sidelines of a tree planting exercise embarked upon by the company in Zuggu in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region over the weekend, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Francis Owiredu said Ghanaians must make a conscious effort to plant trees to address the alarming climate change.
“This is critical because climate change is already having a significant impact. “We can see it these days with the heavy rains in October,” he said.
A total of 555 tick and mango trees were planted by the company to replace lost trees in the area.
Mr. Owiredu said that as a company that consumed huge volumes of paper, it was important to plant trees to at least replenish the equivalent of its consumption. He, however, noted that the company was making a conscious effort to reduce its reliance on paper by digitizing its operations.
“We have reduced our paper consumption by almost 25 percent; part of the result is due to the sensitization of the staff and going forward for more digitalization of our businesses, which will also help to reduce our paper consumption,” he said.
The government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission, initiated the Green Ghana project in June 2021, with the aim of planting five million trees across the country to restore depleted vegetation cover.
Mr. Owiredu said such initiatives were laudable and urged Ghanaians to help sustain them to ensure that the purpose for which they were initiated was achieved.
The Forest Range Manager of the Tamale Forest District, Raymond Abaare, commended Advans Ghana for the initiative and urged more corporate organizations to incorporate tree planting into their corporate social responsibility programs to help restore Ghana’s lost vegetation cover. He said the Forestry Commission would put protection mechanisms in place to ensure the safety of the plants.
Source; Lukman Mohammed