Benito Owusu-Bio during the tour
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, responsible for Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, has dismissed claims circulating in the media about the government’s unpaid debt of GH¢2.3 billion to Green Ghana seedling providers after the planting exercises.
Addressing the media on a site monitoring tour of some Green Ghana seedlings planted in selected areas of Accra, Mr. Owusu-Bio stressed that “there is no such thing as GH¢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 GH¢28million which will soon be cleared.”
He gave an assurance to 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.
“Earlier, we disclosed a survival rate of 80 per cent however, due to weather conditions and other factors, currently seedlings planted in 2021 has a survival rate of 67 per cent and 2022 a 72 per cent survival, and that is good progress because no matter what, we will not be able to achieve a 100 per cent survival rate,” he said.
Mr. Owusu-Bio Benito was impressed with how well the seedlings have grown, applauding the Forestry Commission for ensuring that Foresters nurtured the Green Ghana seedlings to this level of maturity.
The team on the monitoring tour first visited the Seismic Centre at the Ghana Geological Survey in Achimota, three planting sites at Legon campus, through to the Achimota Forest, to AchimotaSchool and the J.J. Rawlings Foundation guardianship inside the Achimota School.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri