The Coordinator for the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP), Dr. Louise Carol Serwaa Donkor has on Thursday, 26th May, 2022, inspected some tree seedlings procured in the Western and Ashanti Regions ahead of the government's aggressive afforestation programme "Green Ghana Day" being implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
At Adinkra in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Carol inspected the over 8 million seedlings plantation and commended the workers for a good job done.
She engaged the workers in a brief meeting highlighting government's commitment to resource them to have sustainable income as alternative to the illegal small-scale mining.
The plantation at Adinkra, which was formerly a degraded land site due to illegal mining activities, has seen a major facelift after a partnership between government-private sector, Richie Plantation, a leading Agro-business industry in Ghana.
She indicated that the field trip was as a result of her outfit's resolve in ensuring that the 2022 Green Ghana Day becomes a resounding success, saying "the seedlings procured ahead of the Green Ghana Day on June 10th 2022 is ready for distribution".
Wrapping up the working visit at Akotom, a town in the Prestea Huni Valley in the Western Region, Dr. Carol applauded the Plantation Manager and workers for nurturing enough seedlings for the nationwide tree planting exercise.
The Cordinator further called for closer collaborative efforts of traditional authorities and Ghanaians in general to make the 2022 Green Ghana Day, which will see the planting of 20million trees, one of a kind.
On his part, Mr. Richard Quansah, CEO of Richie plantation, added that 20 million seedlings have been raised and millions more will be added by the end of 2022.
He pointed out that, through NALEP, activities such as land preparations, irrigation and nursery to transplanting and the planting of seedlings have culminated in an estimated 100000 direct jobs to indigenes and residents of nearby communities.
It has also ensured decent and sustainable income for the locals.
"These workers are mostly individuals who were involved in illegal mining activities, who have now been integrated into one of the President Akufo-Addo led government's initiative, the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Program which has the sole aim of re-afforestion and reclamating degraded lands."
The two plantations visited by the team have Acacia, Teak, Cedrella, Ofram, Mahogany and Cassia seedlings nursed on a large scale.
