The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, responsible for Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, has disclosed that 72% of seedlings planted during the 2022 Green Ghana tree planting exercise has survived.

This statistic he said is according to a report submitted to the Lands Ministry by the Forestry Commission detailing the verification assessment of trees planted during the years under review.

The Deputy Minister revealed this when he took a tour of the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday, 28th March, 2023 to monitor seedlings planted by associations, institutions, the Ministry and the Forestry Commission during the Green Ghana Project.

He also assured Ghanaians and tax payers 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 Day 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, 72% survival and that is good progress because no matter what, we will not be able to achieve 100% survival," he said.

The Deputy Minister dismissed claims circulating in the media space about government's unpaid debt of GHS2.3billion to Green Ghana Seedling providers after the planting exercises.

Addressing the media, Mr Owusu-Bio stressed that "there is no such thing as GHS2.5billion 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 GHS28million which will soon be cleared".

He sent out a word of 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.

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 maturity.

The Deputy Minister also urged all Ghanaians who planted some of the 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 frail and plant the 10,000 seedlings scheduled to be planted this year to help mitigate climate change.

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

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