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Tag: Benito Owusu-Bio

  • Benito Owusu-Bio appointed advisor to Lands Minister on Special Forces

    Benito Owusu-Bio appointed advisor to Lands Minister on Special Forces

    Former Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, has been appointed as an advisor to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources on Special Projects.

    This appointment follows his inclusion among government appointees affected by last week’s reshuffle of Ministers and Deputy Ministers by President Akufo-Addo.

    A letter addressed to Mr. Owusu-Bio and dated Thursday, February 15, indicates that the new appointment is expected to take effect on Monday, February 19.

    “I hope this reaches you in good health and spirit. I am pleased to inform you that you have been appointed advisor to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources on special projects effective Monday 19 February,” a portion of the statement read.

    Benito Owusu-Bio is also the Member of Parliament representing Atwima-Nwabiagya and for this reason, he will not be enjoying any additional emoluments that will come with this position, the statement indicated.

    “Given that you are a Member of Parliament, you will not be entitled to additional remuneration for this role. Kindly indicate your acceptance or otherwise in writing. Counting on your cooperation on such matters of national,” the letter signed by the sector minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor stated.

  • GHS2.5m not enough to plant 10 million trees – Green Ghana Project Committee

    GHS2.5m not enough to plant 10 million trees – Green Ghana Project Committee

    The GH2.5 million allocated for this year’s activity, according to Benito Owusu-Bio, Chairman of the 2023 Green Ghana Project, is grossly insufficient.

    In order to achieve its goal of planting 10 million trees, the government would need assistance from the private sector, according to Benito Owusu-Bio who spoke with CitiNews.

    “As we speak, our approved budget by the Ministry of Finance for the Green Ghana this year is GH¢2.5 million. But we are not going to say we won’t do it, so we have started appealing for funds. Last year we got in excess of GH¢2 million so this year, we expect that with the pledges and commitments, we will get something to shore up.”

    Government to spend GHS2.5m in planting trees

    Launching this year’s Green Ghana Project, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor said several factors accounted for the government’s failure to meet last year’s target.

    “On the maiden edition of the Green Ghana Day, we targeted 5 million trees and with your support, over 7 million trees were planted. Last year, we raised our ambition and targeted at least 20 million trees, and again, with your support, 24 million trees were planted, bringing the total number of trees planted to over 30 million trees.

    “So far, the field assessment report shows that, on average, we had a 72 percent survival rate last year as compared to the 81 percent survival rate in 2021. While adequate measures were put in place to ensure the survival of all trees planted, a number of external factors accounted for the survival rates including rainfall patterns, wildfires, and soil fertility,” he added.

    Schools under trees will be a thing of the past when I become President – Kwabena Duffour 

    Celebrated on the theme, ‘Our Forests, Our Health,’ Mr Jinapor indicated the reduction in the number of trees to be planted in this year’s Green Ghana Day will help create ample time for the nurturing of the already planted trees to enhance the survival rate.

    “The survival rate shows that we still have some 23 million trees to nurture. It is for this reason that this year, the government has decided to revise our target downwards to 10 million trees to give us some devoted resources and attention to the trees planted over the last two years while not wasting momentum on our quest to restore our degraded landscape.”

  • Government to spend GHS2.5m in planting trees

    Government to spend GHS2.5m in planting trees

    The government has authorized GH2.5 million for the 2023 Green Ghana tree planting, this is according to Benito Owusu-Bio, the deputy minister of lands and natural resources.

    The Deputy Minister mentioned this at a press conference at the ministry on the government’s preparation towards the 2023 Green Ghana Day celebration.

    According to Mr. Owuau-Bio, the Forestry Commission through its district offices and internal nursery will provide three million seedlings.

    Another three million seedlings will be provided by the Commission’s alternative livelihood programme.

    He also noted that the Plantation Fund Board, which was established by government through the Forestry Commission will assist in private plantation development.

    “It is also going to assist with 500,000 seedlings, and some committed donors providing us 1 million seedlings. All of these will be up to 7.5 million out of the 10 million,” he stated.

    He continued that “as we speak now, our approved budget for the Green Ghana this year is GH₵2.5 million. This is not enough, but we cannot say that we are not going to celebrate the day this year. So, there’s the need to start appealing for funds, which we have started since last year and we are hopeful that we will get some support from our partners to make this possible.”

    This year’s Green Ghana Day celebration is scheduled Friday, June 9, 2023 on the theme: “Our Forest, Our Health”

    Government has planned to plant 10 million trees during this year’s celebration.

  • Govt disputes claims it owes Green Ghana seed providers ¢28m

    Govt disputes claims it owes Green Ghana seed providers ¢28m

    Deputy Lands Minister Benito Owusu-Bio has reacted to some allegations leveled against the government by the providers of seedlings for the Green Ghana project to the effect that government owes them a whooping GHS 2.3 billion.

    According to him, the claim is erroneous. He says government owes the seed providers GHS 28 million and not the aforementioned amount.

    Speaking after a site monitoring tour of some Green Ghana seedlings planted in selected areas of Accra, on Tuesday, he stated “there is no such thing as ¢2.5 billion debt, even the funds allocated by government for Green Ghana was not that much.

    “What we actually owe our seedlings providers is an amount of ¢28 million which will soon be cleared.”

    He assured the seedlings providers that talks are already underway with the Finance Ministry to settle all Green Ghana debts owed and will personally ensure that these conversations are fast-tracked.

    We owe Green Ghana seed providers ¢28m, not ¢2.3bn - Government

    He also assured Ghanaians and taxpayers that all monies invested into procuring Green Ghana Seedlings have been judiciously utilised as most of the seedlings planted during the 2021-2022 Green Ghana planting exercises are surviving.

    “Earlier, we disclosed a survival rate of 80% however due to weather conditions and other factors, currently seedlings planted in 2021 has a survival rate of 67% and 2022 a 72% survival and that is good progress because no matter what, we will not be able to achieve a 100% survival rate.”

    Mr. Owusu-Bio was impressed with how well the seedlings have grown so far, applauding the Forestry Commission for ensuring that foresters nurtured the Green Ghana seedlings to this level of maturity.

    We owe Green Ghana seed providers ¢28m, not ¢2.3bn - Government

    The Deputy Minister also urged all Ghanaians who planted seedlings in their homes and farms to ensure they make it an effort in nurturing the seedlings to maturity, while calling on all and sundry to join the fray and plant the 10 million seedlings scheduled to be planted this year to help mitigate climate change.

    Mr. Owusu-Bio asserted that the monitoring is part of a buildup of activities towards the Green Ghana Day which he reiterated will be on June 9, 2023.

    The team on the monitoring tour first visited the Seismic Centre at the Ghana Geological Survey in Achimota, then to three planting sites at Legon campus, through to the Achimota Forest, to Achimota Secondary School and to the JJ Rawlings Foundation guardianship inside the Achimota School.

    We owe Green Ghana seed providers ¢28m, not ¢2.3bn - Government

    Joining the Deputy Minister on this tour were the Deputy CEO of the Forestry Commission, Mr. Sulemana Nyadia, the Director for Forestry Services Division at the Forestry Commission, Mr. Hugh C. A. Brown, the Technical Director for Forestry at the Ministry, Mr. Joseph Osiakwan and other officials from the Ministry and the Commission.

  • Owusu-Bio examines 504 housing unit for police

    Owusu-Bio examines 504 housing unit for police

    On Friday, March 3, 2023, a delegation from the Ghana Police Service and the Lands Ministry visited the 504 housing units being built for the Ghana Police Service under the direction of Benito Owusu-Bio, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, who is also in charge of land and forestry.

    His visit also served as a preliminary handing over preparations and site tour ahead of the official handing over of the police apartments under construction at Kwabenya (Atomic) a suburb of Accra.

    At a recently held news conference by the Lands Ministry, Sector Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor disclosed that some State agencies within the vast acres of land around the Kotoka International Airport are being relocated to Kwabenya, to pave way for the redevelopment of the area into a modern commercial hub.

    According to the Minister, the agencies within the enclave to be moved, includes the Ghana Police Service, DVLA, Ghana Airport Company Limited, and the Ghana Meteorological Agency.

    In the company of the Deputy Minister on the visit were the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Mr. James Dadson, officials from the Lands Ministry and the Ghana Police Service.

  • Lands Commission engages National House of Chiefs on new Lands Act

    A delegation from the Lands Commission has held a meeting with the National House of Chiefs as part of stakeholder engagements on the new Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036).

    The Act revises and consolidates previous enactments on lands into a single law, with the view to ensuring sustainable land administration and management, and effective and efficient land tenure.

    The delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio briefed the House on the rationale behind the new Act and how it would improve land administration in the country.

    Heads of the various agencies under the Ministry took turns to explain their roles under the Act with a call on the Chiefs to be abreast with the Act.

    They highlighted key provisions in the Act with emphasis on the Stool Occupants Accountability Regime under the new Land Act which allows indigenes to request accountability from occupants of stool lands.

    Mr Benito Owusu Bio said enactment of the new Land Act was to resolve challenges confronting land administration in the country, including the proliferation of land guards, multiple sale of lands and insecurity.

    “The Land Act aims at revising, harmonising and consolidating the laws of lands to ensure sustainable land administration and management,” the Deputy Minister emphasised.

    He said the goal was to address some of the most pressing issues confronting land administration in the country, stressing that the Act could not work in isolation and required concerted efforts of all stakeholders for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act.

    One way of ensuring this, he said, was to sensitise key stakeholders about the Act and the need to embrace it for the collective good of land administration in Ghana.

    He said the Lands Commission under the supervision of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources held many stakeholder consultations, adding that, Chiefs being custodians of 80 per cent of lands in the country could not be left out.

    The Deputy Minister acknowledged the fact that traditional authorities were one of the important stakeholders in the efficient implementation of the Act.

    “I wish to humbly entreat members of the House of Chiefs to embrace the provisions of this Act to help bring sanity to our land administration. Also, I request the House to deliberate on the Act and propose inputs to the Ministry for consideration in drafting Legislative Instrument (LI) for the Act,” he implored the Chiefs.

    Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, President of the House, welcomed the initiative to engage the House on such an important matter and called for the cooperation of members for a successful meeting.
    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Government to take inventory of unlawful structures on Sakumo Ramsar site

    The government says it will take inventory of all unlawfully erected buildings in the core zone of the Sakumo Ramsar site from today for onward demolition.

    This comes after some fence walls in the area were pulled down on Wednesday.

    Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Sakumo ramsar site, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio says the government is committed to ensuring the protection of the wetland.

    “They all do not have building permits… they are all encroachers because there is an executive instrument and as such, they are not to be here. Those ones will be marked.”

    “We are taking into consideration that those that will be marked are the ones that are really within the flood probe area,” Mr. Owusu Bio.

    The demolition comes after a series of warnings for persons erecting buildings on the site to desist from the act to help preserve the ecological state of the ramsar site.

     

  • Deputy Lands Minister declares war on illegal miners

    The Deputy Lands Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, responsible for Lands  Forestry Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio has sounded a clear warning to illegal miners to stay off forest reserves as he stressed that regardless of positions, they will be driven out and sanctioned.” No matter who you are, we don’t care, if you enter the forest reserves we will drive you out and sanction you as well”

    He intimated that the forest reserves are not for mining but was quick to add that unless for exceptional cases like that of Chirano mines and Newmont who have been granted legal licences to operate “but that doesn’t mean that anyone can just jump into the forest to mine and if we find you like that, we will deal with you”

    The Deputy Minister said this when he paid a working visit to Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve to ascertain the veracity of news of Akonta Mining Company still operating in the forest even after the directive by the Lands Minister to the Forestry Commission to halt the company’s operations in the Forest through a Press Release on 30th September, 2022.

    It will be recalled that the Ministry’s Press statement pointed out that “while Akonta Mining Limited has a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Somreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, the company has no mineral rights to undertake mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

    After an aerial view of the entire forest, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio and his team spotted about three site in the forests with some equipment but no operations and immediately charged the forestry officers to burn and decommission everything on the site upon arrival.

    The team also discovered a different group of illegal miners, working along the banks and edges of the river and a few in the forest. Per the map guiding that aerial view 98% of the miners were outside the restricted area, which are the banks and edges while the remaining 2% worked in the Forest reserves itself. It could however not be determined which mining company these miners belong to.

    Addressing the issue of this new group of illegal miners found mining on the river he said “these are not small scale miners, these are obviously people who are just burnt on destroying our forests, waterbodies and the entire environment but I cannot tell wether that is Akonta or any other company because this is not organised so I can say it’s purely illegal mining that is going on there!”


    He assured the media that as a matter of urgency the Ministry will unleash Operations halt II to the area who with speed boats and the right equipment will bring a halt to all activities ongoing in the river. “With what we have seen here, I will report to the Minister and we would immediately see how we can strategize and bring the operationas to a halt with the speed boats recently pocured to chase them out”

    He also noted that together with the Forestry Commission and Samartex, a timber company in the enclave they will soon beef up the number of forest guards who patrol the 300sq kilometer forest with support from the military.

    The Deputy Lands Minister warned that with the help of the military, the Ministry and the Forestry Commission will embark on similar operations in all forest reserves across the country to ensure they rid all forests of illegalities of any sort. “This will not stop here, we know this is not the only forest reserves under attack and so we will continue to ensure all forest with any illegal activity is brought under scrutiny”

    Hon. Benito called on the community members and traditional leaders of the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region to join in the fight against illegal mining for their own sake and for the betterment of the environment and the country.

    The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Mr. John Allotey on his part gave details to the extent of the devastation saying out of a total area of 205sq kilometer, close to about 0.12sq kilometer of the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve has been impacted upon by the illegal activities.

    He noted that since August when the Commission started having the challenge of groups trooping into the forest to mine, the Commission have sent out the military to the area about 8 times all in efforts to keep them out of the forest.

    He assured that heeding to the directives of the Hon. Minister, the Commission is committed to ensuring that all those found culpable to this matter will be dealt with in accordance with the Law.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • 4th World Teak Confab successfully ends in Accra as India takes up 2025 baton

    The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio on Wednesday, represented the country and closed a 3-day informative and intellectually stimulating 4th World Teak Conference, as India emerges the next country to host the conference, in 2025.

    In his closing remarks, the Deputy Minister said Ghana was proud to have successfully hosted the 4th World Teak Conference as the first African country to have ever done so in the history of the teak conferences.

    He said it was very fulfilling to see different groups of private sector players along the corridors and meeting rooms discussing issues of mutual interest. This he said “is indeed the essence of such international conferences, where we meet in person to discuss global trends and business opportunities”.

    Mr Owusu-Bio congratulated the organizers and the Local Organising Committee, chaired by Mr. John Allotey, Chief Executive of Forestry Commission, and Co chaired by Mr. Hugh Brown, also of the Forestry Commission for their extraordinary efforts in making the event a success.

    On behalf of the Local organizing committee, Mr. John Allotey, the CEO of the Forestry Commission, applauded the delegate for their active participation and insightful contributions to discussions.

    He noted some issues that were raised concerning the organisation of the conference, assuring that they have been duly noted but also pointed out that Ghana has set a mile stone in the organisation of the teak conference around the world.

    Sponsors of the 4th Teak Conference received various categories of awards ranging from bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond packages. Some took home plagues with certificates and other plagues with African artifacts beautiful embroidered with Ghanaian embellemes.

    All the keynote speakers, session chairs and ITTO delegates at the event were also recognised and rewarded for their participation and contribution to the overall success of the event.

    The conference also agreed to present a copy of the summary communique to the government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

    Source:GTonline

  • They are well fed Minister explains why Accra Zoo lions did not eat intruder

    Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, has stated that lions kept at the Achimota Zoo are well catered for.

    The minister’s statement is on the back of the reported invasion of the section housing a male and a female lion and their two cubs at the Accra Zoo.

    According to a police statement on August 28, 2022, the intruder was found dead in the enclosure of the wild animals.

    Speaking to Okay FM, the Deputy Minister noted that the animals were only defending their territory and two young cubs when they attacked the yet-to-be-identified deceased victim.

    “When you look at it, you would realise they (lions) were protecting their territory because these are two lions with two cubs. So for someone who is not an attendant to go in there, they will perceive a threat and naturally defend themselves. That is what happened; they struggled with him, and unfortunately, he died. They did not feed on him; they even left him as soon as the attendants left him.

    “You know how cats behave when they catch a mouse; they hold on to their throat until they remain calm. It was the same thing they did to him. They did not even tear away any flesh. That goes to show that the animals are not looking for humans to devour; secondly, it shows that the animals are well cared for. They are not left hungry. For that, I will applaud the Zoo officials,” the Deputy Minister said.

    According to a statement by the Forest Commission, the intruder jumped the security fence of the Zoo and entered the inner fencing of the lions’ enclosure.

    It was at this point that one of the lions attacked and killed him.

    Although the Forestry Commission says it is yet to determine the motive of the man in the incident that occurred on the afternoon of August 28, social media is awash with allegations that the now deceased man was attempting to steal a cub.

    The statement detailed that the man’s body has since been conveyed to the morgue while the lions have been secured within their enclosure.

    “Around 12:00 hours today August 28 2022, officials of the Accra Zoo on a routine patrol, noticed a middle-aged man (an intruder) had jumped the security fences and entered the lions enclosure of the Zoo. The motive of the intruder is yet to be determined.

    “The intruder was attacked and injured by one of the lions, within the inner fencing of the enclosure. The intruder has been confirmed dead from injuries sustained and the body has been conveyed to the morgue,” part of the statement read.

    “Accra Zoo authorities successfully coaxed the lions into a secure hold and invited the Achimota Police to convey the body and commence investigations.

    “We wish to confirm that the lion, the lioness and the two (2) cubs remain secured in their enclosure at the Accra Zoo. Forestry Commission wishes to assure the general public that no lion has escaped from the Accra Zoo. The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission Hon Benito Owusu Bio and John Allotey respectively, have visited the Zoo this afternoon to ensure all facilities remain secure,” it added.

    Source:Ghanaweb

  • Continuous land degradation worrying – Owusu-Bio

    The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, has expressed grave concern over the continuous destruction of the environment through illegal mining and sand-winning activities, despite concerted efforts made to deal with the menaces.

    He said it was worrying that in spite of the fact that the regulatory agencies, such as the Minerals Commission and the Lands Commission, had consistently sensitised the public to the need to protect the land, many recalcitrant people still engaged in activities that destroyed the environment and posed health risks to the public.

    He said since it was obvious that some people had failed to respect the laws on the environment, the Lands Ministry and its agencies would go all out to crack the whip on culprits.

    He said this during an inspection tour of state lands at Amrahia in the Adentan municipality in the Greater Accra Region yesterday.

    Amrahia lands

    The government acquired the 1,381-acre land at Amrahia in the 1960s, mainly for agricultural and dairy purposes.

    After many years of little investment, over 150 acres of the land have been encroached upon.

    Currently, discussions are ongoing between the government and the pre-acquisition owners for the release of 40 per cent of the land to the chiefs and the families in the area in lieu of compensation, as required by law.

    Sand winning

    During yesterday’s visit to the area, it was discovered that large tracts of the land had been destroyed by illegal sand winners.

    The affected land, about the size of three football fields, had been wiped off by the illegal sand winners.

    The sand-winning activities had also left residents of the area battling with dust.

    Mr Owusu-Bio, who was visibly angered by the development, stressed that the ministry would go all out to crack down on the illegality, and warned that all persons behind the illegal sand-winning activities on state lands at Amrahia to stop with immediate effect,

    He stressed that recalcitrant illegal sand-winners would be arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

    “This is government land; why should people be destroying it this way! We have not given anyone any permit to win sand here, so anyone doing it is acting illegally and he or she will be made to face the law,” he said.

    Land allocation

    On the release of 40 per cent of the land to the pre-acquisition owners, Mr Owusu-Bio said the process would be completed in about two months.

    He said surveyors had finished survey activities on the land, paving the way for allocation to be made to the various families.

    “The surveyors have been able to determine where the allocation to the various families will fall; and I am satisfied with the work they have done. What is left is for the Lands Ministry and the Lands Commission to get the necessary documentation done,” he said.

    The deputy minister called on the beneficiary families to cooperate with the government for the allocation process to be seamless.

    The Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, James Dadson, said the commission would continue its engagement with all the families to conclude the allocation process.

    “All the plans are ready; the demarcation of the allocations from each family has been done, so what we are going to do is get their leadership to come on board for the allocations, then we can proceed to do land titles for them,” he added.

    Source: Graphiconline

  • Hunting banned for 4 months

    The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has declared August 1 to December 1, 2022, as the closed season for hunting in the country.

    By that declaration, a ban has been placed on the hunting, capture and destruction of wildlife species.

    The four-month ban was announced by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, last Friday in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685).

    L.I. 685 states: “During this period, the hunting, capturing or destroying of any wildlife species is absolutely prohibited. The only animal that could be hunted during closed season is the grasscutter, but with a valid license issued by the Wildlife Division. Any person who contravenes any provision of these regulations shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine”.

    Mr Owusu-Bio said the institutionalisation of the closed season was one of the measures meant to protect wildlife species.

    He observed that the closed season provided the necessary conditions for animals to procreate, nurse and nurture their young ones for replenishment.

    The deputy minister said wildlife provided enormous benefits such as ecotourism, research, medicine and environmental protection, for which reason, they must be preserved.

    Enforcement

    To ensure compliance with the closed season, Mr Owusu-Bio directed the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission to ensure that rangers and forest guards intensified their monitoring activities in forest and off-reserve areas across the country.

    He also called for urgent steps to curb the increasing cases of poaching and destruction of wildlife species in the 21 protected areas across the country.

    “Indiscriminate hunting, bushfires, unregulated farming and poaching, if not checked, will bring some of the wild animal species under serious threat of extinction,” he said.

    The deputy minister said as part of measures to sustainably manage and utilise wildlife resources, the Wildlife Bill had been put before Parliament for consideration to be passed into law to provide the legal framework to support effective management of wildlife.

    The Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Bernard Asamoah-Boateng, said his outfit would take the necessary steps to enforce the ban on hunting to give the wild animals some respite during breeding.

    He said through the vigilance of the division, 144 illegal hunters, popularly called poachers, were arrested for flouting the closed season directive last year.

    He said 57 of those cases had been successfully prosecuted, with the rest at various stages of prosecution.

    Mr Asamoah-Boateng said 33 Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) covering 784,999 hectares of land had been created in 78 communities across the country to support the division to protect wildlife.

    He urged hunters and dealers in wildlife enterprises to be circumspect in carrying out their trade by adhering to the law and obtaining the needed permits during the closed season.

    He also called on chiefs, security agencies and non-governmental organisations in the environmental conservation space to help in enforcing compliance during the closed season.

     

    Source: Graphic Online

     

  • 2022 Green Ghana: We exceeded 20 million target – Government

    The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, who doubles as the National Chairman of the 2022 Green Ghana Planning Committee has disclosed that a total of 22,671,696 million seedlings have so far been distributed for the 2022 edition of the Green Ghana agenda, which well exceeds that initial 20 million seedling targeted.

    Addressing the media on behalf of the Sector Minister, Samuel, A. Jinapor during a press conference in the aftermath of the Green Ghana Day, on Monday, 13th June, 2022, the Deputy Minister called for an effective monitoring and supervision of the seedlings planted to fuel the success of the 2022 edition of government’s aggressive afforestation and reforestation program.

    “We need to make conscious efforts to nurture the trees by watering them, protect them from destruction, prevent fires, weed under them until they grow to maturity” he said.

    The Deputy Lands Minister added that, the “survival rate this year will be more than the 85% survival rate last year. The Ministry has put in place a Monitoring and Assessment Team under the Chairmanship of Hon. Francis Manu-Adabor, who is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry to undertake comprehensive field assessment of trees planted this year which includes other members of the Committee like myself and the CEO of the Forestry Commission.”

    Hon. Owusu-Bio used the occasion to rebuff claims by some section of the media that the Green Ghana Day program was politicized and partisan, indicating that the Green Ghana Day was a national assignment and that the inclusiveness of Ghanaians with diverse backgrounds in the political and religious landscape such as the Former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, the National Chief Imam and high profile members of the Clergy gives this clear indication that it is for Ghana.

    In responding to a question posed by the media on the budget and expenditure of the Green Ghana Day, Hon. Benito Owusu disclosed that so far, GHC6million cedis was disbursed to the Ministry for the Green Ghana Day, out of which the 22 Million tree seedlings were obtained, which also included publicity and other expenses in the lead up to the planting.

    He added that subsequently, a detailed report of the expenses will be made available to the public just like that of last year.

    The CEO of the Forestry Commission, Mr. John Allotey on his part, gave an indept presentation on the provisional results of the seedlings distributed and planted on the Green Ghana Day.

    Pertinent among things highlighted in his presentation were the individual targets assigned to Regions and the actual results achieved.

    He noted that among the 16 regions, the Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Eastern and the Greater Accra Regions exceeded their target while the Northern, North East and Oti Region are yet to meet their target due to low rainfall in these regions.

    He said, from the 50% target purported to be planted in the forest reserves, 40.2% have been planted and the other 50% for homes and other locations have seen a 59.8% work done, while reiterating that on the whole 22,671,696 seedlings have been distributed so far.

    “The national target was to plant 20 million seedlings but as we speak now, we have distributed 22,671,696 and even with this, the districts are still entering some of the figures and so we will update you as and when they come in” He disclosed

    He also gave an analysis on the performances of various districts in the regions saying that ” although some districts are yet to meet their target, generally performances have been very impressive in the various districts”

    He mentioned the highest seedlings distributed per demand, naming Teak, Ofram, Cidrella, Acacia, and Mahogany as examples, adding that Fruits and Timber species as examples of the species most requested for.

    The CEO also welcomed the role of the media in helping to monitor the seedlings planted during Green Ghana Day and added that all information regarding Green Ghana is available at the District Level of Forestry Commission.

    He applauded some lead private plantation companies and churches who contributed to the success of the Project, outlining Global Green, Sanatex Ghana, Form Ghana, Sakam Savanna, The Pentecost Church, Catholic, Apostolic, Methodist and Assemblies to God as examples.

  • Lands Commission flood: Your land documents are intact Deputy Lands Minister assures

    Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, responsible for Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, has assured Ghanaians that all land documents at the Lands Commission Accra Regional office are safe and intact.

    He said this in contrast to a news report circulating on social media that rains have destroyed all land documents at the Greater Accra Regional Lands Commission head office including those of Achimota forest.

    Addressing the media during an inspection of the flooded offices at the Lands Commission on Monday, May 23, Mr Benito said, “Yes, it is true the rain got into the building from the construction site next door but upon inspection on arrival to verify the reports, nothing has been  destroyed as most documents were safely placed on shelves above floor level.”

    He further stated that even documents that were wet by the rainwater have been promised to be replaced.

    “The Executive Secretary has assured us that all the documents the water got into will be reprinted and replaced. The electronic data are also intact and so there is no cause for alarm.”

    The Deputy Minister said moving forward, they are going to ensure that no documents are kept on the floor in the offices to ensure such an occurrence does not repeat itself.

    He stressed that the rain was an act of God which could not have been predicted and therefore should not be linked to the Achimota Forest land saga or any other land matter whatsoever as it will be unfair if that is considered.

    Mr Owusu-Bio gave a word of encouragement and appreciation to the employees of the Lands Commission for their hard work regardless of all current happenings, saying: “we see your efforts and we appreciate it, Keep up the good work,” he said.

    Lands Commission flood: Your land documents are intact - Deputy Lands Minister assuresSource: GNA

    Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Mr. James Dadson, pointed out that the main offices that were affected include the basement, records, records annex and the digital capturing room but he was also quick to add that most of the documents affected by the rain have been retrieved and dried up by the sun, adding that those that could not dry will be reprinted and replaced.

    Mr. Dadson also assured the media and Ghanaians that the rains did not interrupt their work in any way, adding that they will be ready to work, anytime they are called upon.

    “This has not disrupted any of our work. As a matter of fact, we have restored lights to all the affected offices and we are ready and will be at your service anytime we are called upon to work,” he concluded.

    Source: MyJoyOnline