Ami Mehl planting a tree alongside a student of the school
As part of activities to mark Israel at 70 in Ghana, the Embassy of Israel, in partnership with the Akrofo Human Resource Development Centre and Bueman Senior High School in Jasikan, has embarked on a tree planting project.
The project saw the embassy lead in the planting of about 500 eucalyptus seedlings at the Bueman SHS and the township of Jasikan. The tree planting project was to reinforce and encourage the students to be responsible for their environment.
Tu Bishvat is the New Year of the trees in Israel, during which people are reminded of their responsibility to keep the environment safe, clean and greener.
According to Dr Yael Mehl, the public diplomacy coordinator at the Embassy of Israel, “The state of Israel puts many efforts to protect nature and develop it during its 70 years of independence and it should be emphasized that 50 percent of Israel – the Holy Land is a desert, but we turned it into a flourishing developed environment.”
Speaking to students at Bueman SHS, the Ambassador of Israel to Ghana, Ami Mehl, bemoaned the rate at which galamsey activities, for instance, have destroyed most of Ghana’s river bodies and lands.
“One of the reasons for global warming is because people are cutting down trees in the forest and the solution to this is by planting more trees,” he added. Ami Mehl, thus, called on all stakeholders to create awareness about environmental protection through tree planting.
“We have the responsibility to teach the next generation about the importance of making the world a better, cleaner and worth living place,” hence, the essence of this tree planting project,” he emphasized.
The Headmaster of Bueman SHS, Edison Tetteh Adzigodie, expressed his delight for the selection of Bueman SHS to partner in the tree planting project. He assured that “all resources invested in the project will not end in futility” and called for an exchange programme between Bueman SHS and the Embassy of Israel to ensure a sustained relationship between the two.
On his part, the District Chief Executive of Jasikan, Lawrence Kwami Aziale, expressed gratitude to the embassy for replicating the festival of tree planting in Jasikan.
He pledged to lead the district to embark on more tree planting projects that would bring economic value to the people.
Mr Aziale also called for a collaborative support between Jasikan and sister cities in Israel to expose the district to some of the Israeli agricultural technologies.
The project brought together a delegation from the University of Ghana’s Institute of Environment & Sanitation Studies, students, teachers, traditional leaders, opinion leaders and various representatives of the Forestry Commission in Jasikan to lead in planting trees. About 500 eucalyptus seedlings were planted.