MTN Ghana, in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance and with support from the Forestry Commission, has planted 833 trees at the Chipa Forest Reserve in the Tema-Ada Forest Division as part of efforts to restore degraded forest areas and promote environmental sustainability.
The exercise formed part of MTN Ghana’s Sustainability Month activities and its 30th anniversary celebrations, while also contributing to the government’s Tree for Life initiative aimed at restoring Ghana’s degraded forest landscapes.
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Manager of the Tema-Ada Forest Division of the Forestry Commission, Linda Ansah, said the Chipa Forest Reserve, which was gazetted in the 1960s, had suffered degradation over the years largely due to illegal harvesting of firewood and logging.
Over the years, we have had a lot of interventions by the government aimed at restoring degraded portions of Chipa Forest Reserve. So, we are glad that MTN, as part of its sustainability drive and its 30th anniversary celebration, has partnered with the Forestry Commission to plant trees to enable us to restore the degraded forest back to its original state,” she said.
Ansah explained that the initial target was to plant 1,666 trees across two hectares, but only 833 seedlings were planted during the exercise because of the prevailing dry weather conditions.
She said the selected species, including mahogany, acacia, etc had been carefully chosen because they perform well in the geographical area, grow relatively fast and contribute to carbon sequestration and improved soil conditions.
The Forestry Commission, she added, would continue to maintain and monitor the seedlings after planting to ensure their survival.
We don’t only plant. We do regular maintenance. We always ensure that the seedlings survive and are fully grown,” Ansah said.
She said maintenance activities would include watering during the dry season, weeding around the seedlings, replacing seedlings that do not survive and constructing fire belts to protect the trees from bushfires.
The Forestry Commission would also continue to deploy forest guards to protect the reserve from illegal logging and other activities that could undermine restoration efforts.
Rainforest Alliance stresses collective action
Country Director of the Rainforest Alliance Ghana, Nicholas Jengre, said the organisation was pleased to partner with MTN Ghana on the initiative as part of efforts to promote a sustainable environment where people and nature could thrive together.
We are so happy when MTN asked us, ‘Can we do this together in our Sustainability Month?’ On behalf of the Rainforest Alliance team in Ghana, we really want to thank MTN for this opportunity for us to join you,” he said.
Jengre said the planting of 833 trees, although only part of the targeted two hectares, represented an important contribution to environmental restoration.
He noted that trees play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide and regulating the climate, particularly at a time when Ghana and other countries are experiencing rising temperatures and changing weather patterns.
The restoration is also not enough. It has to go with technology, it has to go with commitment and also people,” he said.
Jengre called on Ghanaians to make tree planting and environmental conservation a sustained practice rather than limiting such activities to annual campaigns.
If you plant a single tree, it’s a home for several species of animals. Birds are being housed, insects are housed, and there are squirrels and other animals being housed as well. So, the diversity in building a good ecosystem is important,” he said.
He said the remaining seedlings would be planted when the rains returned, in line with the agreement among MTN Ghana, Rainforest Alliance and the Forestry Commission.
MTN commits to sustained environmental action
The acting General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Ghana, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, said the tree-planting exercise marked the culmination of the company’s month-long Sustainability Month activities.
We are crowning the Sustainability Month with a date with nature,” she said.
Fiagbenu expressed appreciation to the Rainforest Alliance and the Forestry Commission for their support and urged participants to make environmental conservation a continuing commitment.
She disclosed that MTN Ghana was considering incorporating tree planting into its Y’ello Care employee volunteering programme, which would enable staff to undertake tree-planting activities beyond the Sustainability Month.
We should come back and add more trees so that we can sustain this,” she urged.
She encouraged individuals and families to also take up tree planting in their homes and communities as part of efforts to create a greener Ghana.
