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AfriKids Ghana, a child rights organisation, has taken the lead in promoting climate action in the northern part of the country.
The organisation, through schools under its Children Against Climate Change (CACC) programme, has successfully planted and nurtured 5,000 trees across four districts in the Upper East and North East regions.
The achievement, realised over three years, was celebrated at a Tree Festival held in Fumbisi in the Builsa South District.
The event drew pupils, teachers, traditional authorities and officials of the Forestry Commission, the Ghana Education Service (GES), development partners and community members to recognise achievements in reforestation.
Speaking on behalf of the Country Director of AfriKids Ghana, the Communication and Advocacy Manager, Raymond Akolbire Ayinne, said the trees were planted in the Binduri, Talensi and Builsa South districts in the Upper East Region, as well as the Mamprugu-Moagduri District in the North East Region.
He explained that the programme, with funding support from Gower Street, technical support from the Organisation for Indigenous Initiatives and Sustainability, Ghana (ORGIIS Ghana) and guidance and resources from the Forestry Commission, aimed not only at restoring degraded environments, but also at raising a new generation of environmentally responsible children.
“This is more than planting trees. It is about building values of stewardship, responsibility and sustainability among our children and communities,” he said.
The Bolgatanga Municipal Manager of the Forestry Commission, Felix Amoah, commended AfriKids Ghana and the participating schools for aligning with the government’s Tree for Life initiative, which encouraged every citizen, particularly pupils, to plant and nurture trees.
He stressed that tree planting must become a habit rather than a one-off activity, highlighting the importance of trees in providing oxygen, food, medicine, regulating temperature, preventing soil erosion and supporting biodiversity.
“When the last tree dies, the last man also dies,” he warned, expressing concern about bush burning and indiscriminate destruction of forests.
Mr Amoah announced that the Forestry Commission would continue to distribute seedlings to schools and individuals free of charge, adding that over 200,000 seedlings were supplied last year, with plans to raise and distribute up to 300,000 in the coming planting season.
A representative of the Builsa South District Director of Education, Atuburoa Moses Asiawe, described the AfriKids intervention as a turning point for schools in the district, where access to seedlings had previously been a major challenge.
“In the past, we planted trees and they died. This time, most of the trees planted are growing well because of the education and guidance given to both teachers and pupils,” he said.
Delivering a keynote address, the Executive Director of ORGIIS Ghana, Julius Awaregya, cautioned that human activities such as indiscriminate tree felling, charcoal production, bush burning and chemical misuse were major contributors to climate change in northern Ghana.
He urged communities to protect existing trees while planting new ones and encouraged schools to continuously pass on tree-planting knowledge to new batches of pupils to ensure sustainability.
As part of the festival, awards, including watering cans, wheelbarrows and pickaxes, were presented to schools that emerged as Highest Achievers in tree planting and maintenance over the period.
