Somanya—-The Greece and Cyprus Consulates in Ghana has partnered with the University of Environment and Sustainable Development to plant hundreds of trees on the campus and surrounding communities to mark Green Ghana Day 2023.
The third edition of the aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme that aims to help restore the country’s degraded landscapes was on the theme: “Our Forests, Our Health”.
The collaboration with the University was aimed at educating and imbibing in the current and future students the need to preserve the forest cover and set the green economy on a path to recovery.
Commenting on the partnership, Mrs Marianna Gavriel, Honorary Consul General of Greece and Cyprus in Ghana, said environmental sustainability was a precondition for sustainable development and decent living.
“We are here, this morning, for a very special task. The task of witnessing the planting of trees to mark Green Ghana Day 2023, which is being held across the country.
I am very happy to participate in this collaboration with the University community as a demonstration of our commitment to achieving Ghana government’s target of planting 10 million trees.
She underscored the dangers posed by climate change such as rising sea levels and their devastating impacts in many countries across the world, adding “the power to prevent all these negative activities lies in our hands; planting a tree with our hands today, will save our world and the future generation from destruction.”
“We have everything to gain as people when we pay attention to the environment and this is why I urge Ghanaians to embrace the call and to enthusiastically and actively plant trees to save the environment from degradation,” she added.
“We, the Greek community in Ghana, welcome the government’s move and pledge to do everything possible to ensure the success of this programme into the future,”Mrs Gavriel said.
“For the years to come, we have to adapt globally towards a more healthy and sustainable environment for the generations to come and for ourselves, for our health.
She said there were fruitful discussions with the University authorities on the programmes being run and expressed hope of future collaborations.
“And what we believe is that we can build a future together, at least in collaboration with the countries and their similar institution, our countries of Cyprus and Greece. So, I’m very positive and I’m very happy with the reception and I’m sure that soon we will repeat similar actions towards a better sustainable, environmentally friendly and healthy environment for all of us,”
Professor Eric Nyarko-Sampson, Vice-Chancellor UESD, said the exercise was important for the country and for the young people, who are coming up, to also know that there was a need for replacement, the need for a conscious effort to replace these trees that are cut intentionally or deliberately, or through the action of man.
Touching on the collaboration with the Greece and Cyprus Consulate, Prof. Nyarko-Sampson said it was a great boost for the young university to team up with countries that think of the environment and willing to work with academia on such project.
“And the discussions we had earlier on with excellency mean that together we have a lot of things to share, a lot of things in common to share in moving forward and so it’s a big boost for us as an institution,” he added.
Mrs Beatrice Nti, Administrative officer Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission said it was important to plant more trees to grow healthly.
“We also want to encourage everyone not only the day, set in June, but we want to encourage every stakeholder to be part of this special initiative by the President of the Republic of Ghana,”she said.
As part of the special programme, Eastern Region was to plant 600,000 trees while the Somanya district office has a target of 80,000 seedlings.
Mrs Mary Abena Agyepong, Registrar UESD, said the collaboration with the Greece and Cyprus had placed the school on the world map and also an endorsement of the path the University is pursuing.
The university currently has a student population of 642 up from 77 at the beginning of the University three years ago.
