Ghana: Catholic Bishops to plant one million trees in 2021.

Paul Samasumo – Vatican City.

The Bishops in Ghana committed themselves to ensure that one million trees would be planted by the Church during this year’s rainy season.

The Green Ghana Project

The Bishops’ one million trees planting agenda is twofold: It comes as a response to Pope Francis’ Laudato sì encyclical and as a way to support the Ghanaian Government’s environmental flagship programme, the Green Ghana Project. In April, the Government of Ghana announced an ambitious plan to plant five million trees this year alone.

“We wish to reiterate the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s commitment to plant one million trees during this year’s rainy season as announced during our Plenary Assembly in early May,” read a statement made available to Vatican News and signed by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale who is also Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference President, Archbishop Philip Naameh.

The Seven-Year Laudato sì Action Platform

While the Ghanaian Government’s programme will be carried out under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Archbishop Naameh said dioceses, parishes, and ecclesial communities would plant a variety of trees across Ghana.

“We welcome wholeheartedly the Seven-Year Laudato sì Action Platform launched by Pope Francis to galvanise action by the Church and all people of goodwill to address looming environmental, social calamities,” said Archbishop Naameh. The Archbishop said the Ghana National Catholic Secretariat would coordinate, network, and mobilise resources towards the successful implementation of the tree-planting project.

Other activities under the Laudato sì Action Platform would be operationalised in 2022.