The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the British High Commission have marked the Green Ghana Day and the Queen’s Platinum Anniversary with a tree planting exercise at the Queen Elizabeth II Education Foundation in Accra on Tuesday, 7th June 2022.
Addressing the gathering Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources who represented the Sector Minister announced that ” just in three days from today, that is June 10, the whole nation will be planting at least 20 million trees on that day and this will be lead by H. E the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He explained that the Green Ghana day is part of an aggressive reforestation/afforestation strategy of the government to restore our lost forest cover and contribute to global efforts to fight climate change and its adverse impacts on livelihoods.
He urged all, especially the students to actively participate in the tree planting exercise to build a sustainable future, adding that to inculcate in school children the culture of tree planting, growing, and nurturing, the 2022 edition of the One Student, One-Tree initiative was launched at the Aggrey Memorial AME. Zion SHS, which is intended to be done annually.
He also expressed appreciation on behalf of the Sector Minister to the British High Commissioner for the collaboration in celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Anniversary together with a national tree planting exercise.
He highly commended and thanked the school authorities for the opportunity to host such an important event in the school and hoped for a collaborative effort to protect the environment.
The British High Commissioner, H.E Harriet Thompson, addressing the gathering said she is honored to be a part of such a historic occasion and expressed her utmost appreciation to the government and the Ministry for their tireless efforts in Greening Ghana.
She encouraged all and sundry to be a part of the tree planting exercise while outlining a number of importance of trees to society and the environment.
“Trees are precious to us, they help to keep this hot temperature down, it provides homes for nature and wildlife and they also help to clean our water and help to clean our air and most importantly help stop climate change” She pointed out.
She added that they are really looking forward to joining the Ministry to Green Ghana together come June 10, 2022.
The Administrator of the School, Mr. Ebenezer Nartey who welcomed the dignitaries, gave a history of the school and how it acquired the name of the Queen.
Mr. Nartey thanked the Ministry and the British High Commission for choosing to honour the school with such an important and historic occasion.
He made a passionate appeal to the Ministry and the High commission to aid them to rehabilitate the school and furnish them with some logistics.
The school gained its name as Queen Elizabeth II Day Nursery Centre when The Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II accompanied Ghana’s First President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to pay a visit to the school on 11th November 1961.
The name has currently been changed to Queen Elizabeth II Education Foundation and has also been transformed from Creche and Nursery to Basic 1 through to 9 levels.
Story by:Kwaku Stephen
