The Green Republic has launched the ‘Plant Your Age Campaign’ as part of its vision to lead the youth of Ghana to overcome climate crisis by planting 20 million trees by 2028 as their contribution to global efforts to overcome climate challenge.
The campaign was launched at the 2nd Annual climate Benefit Ball 2022 under the theme ‘Emerging from Covid-19 Pandemic to Accelerated Climate Action.’ The Annual Climate Benefit Ball seeks to raise funds to take the action of planting trees as a natural remedy to the climate crisis.
Typically, funding comes from both private and public sources in the form of loans, bilateral funding, funding from donor governments, export credits, and multilateral bodies like the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank.
These funding sources are mainly targeted at nations, not youth-driven organizations like The Green Republic Project and other nonprofit organisations.
In a welcome address, the convener of the Green Republic, Nana Yaw Osei Darkwa, thanked H.E. the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for launching ‘Green Ghana Day’ to rally Ghanaians, including himself, to plant trees.
He made a clarion call and humble appeal to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consider creating a sole Ministry for Climate Change and Global Warming to give focus and dedication to the climate crisis which threatens our very existence as a nation and humankind at large.
Speaking at the event, the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E Mr Sugandh Rajaram, commended the Green Republic for such an innovative drive to lead dedicated young people to fight the climate crisis. In a brief speech, The M.D of National Lotteries, Sammi Awuku acknowledged that the single war facing today’s youth is climate change. He charged the Green Republic team to communicate the concept of climate change to the understanding of all.
According to him, many young people will voluntarily join the campaign if the message is more precise and reflective of their daily activities.
In recognition of corporate bodies response to support the fight against Climate Change and Global Warming, the MD designate of Republic Bank Benjamin Dzoboku assured the Green Republic of the bank’s commitment to the ‘Plant your Age Campaign.’
The Plant Your Age Campaign is an innovative strategy to offer every human the opportunity to thank mother earth by planting the number of years they have been living on earth.
The Green Republic Project is an indigenous Ghanaian based Nonprofit organisation founded on the knowledge and core belief that tree planting remains the most cost-efficient, nature-based solution to capture carbon. As part of a multi-faceted mitigation strategy, we firmly believe that planting trees can play an essential role in the fight against climate change and the devastation it causes, i.e. heat waves, drought, erosion, flooding, wildfires and displacement of people (climate refugees).
Therefore, the project seeks to bring people together to plant 20millions of trees in Ghana in the next decade, harnessing and monitoring nature’s carbon capture mechanism and enabling citizens to take urgent action against the climate crisis. The Green Republic Project commenced in July 2018 and has resulted in the planting of 36,000 trees
The event brought together captains of industry, diplomats, corporate institutions, traditional rulers, professionals, religious bodies and distinguished personalities, including; Bice Osei Kuffour (M.D., Ghana Post), Dr Abeiku Arthur (CEO, Niewtree Ghana Ltd), Keegan Wang (MD, Waylead Real Estate), Mr Isaac Buah (CEO,Ezako Ltd), Ben Eshun (Marketing Manager, GHACEM Ltd), Nana Boakye Yiadom Kotoko (Chief of Adugyama, Ashanti Region), Elvis Blankson(Marketing Manager,Jabali Bitters), Gifty Ako (Immediate Past Provost for Global Strategies, University of Rhode Island