Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, has called on Ghanaians to use the celebrations of Farmers Day to plant trees, to support the country's afforestation programme.
He said the population of the Ghanaian adult was 14.5 million and that if each of them were planting a tree each, in 10 years period the country could replace 145 million trees out those fell.
Prof. Akosa made the call in Accra on Thursday, at a symposium on "Sport and the Environment" which was organised by the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) for 12 selected schools which have formed the Olympic clubs.
He said Ghana had good rainfall pattern, but due to indiscriminate felling of economic trees, the country's forest was almost depleted. They should also plant shade trees to serve as windbreaks.
The Director-General also regretted that most farmers destroyed the vegetation as a result of bushfires set in their farms, adding that farmer-smokers were also contributory factors to the country's deforestation.
He called school children to inculcate the habit of tree-planting in their schools, communities and even in their parents' farms.
Prof Akosa advised the participants to take active interest in sports so that they would remain healthy at all times.
He stated: " the key to quality health is sport and that it should be an integral part of their life for ever."
Mr. Kwasi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association, who chaired the function called on the participants to work hard to achieve their objectives.