Make Ghana greener – Prof. Asare Opoku

by Kofi Ayim

A Ghanaian professor and international scholar has called on the Government of Ghana to vigorously lead efforts to make the country greener. Professor Kofi Asare Opoku asserts that Ghana can be turned into one of the greenest countries in the world with a little foresight and prudent measures from government.
In an interview, Professor Asare Opoku who is also a traditionalist and naturalist opined that Accra and other cities in the country have no reason whatsoever to be surrounded by filth and stench. He suggested shifting the celebration of National Farmers Day from the beginning of the dry season to the beginning of rainy season so Ghanaians on that day would do what farmers do. He explained that on that day every able bodied Ghanaian should plant trees such as palms, mangoes, shrubs, and flowers on open spaces, streets, sidewalks, back and front yards, and highway medians. “If we would start observing Farmers’ Day in this way, we would begin the laudable effort of greening and beautifying our country, which is crying for beautification.”
Besides deforestation and desertification, those that mostly walk in their daily duties would be shielded by the intense heat, and Ghana would have contributed its widow’s mite to stem global warming. Professor Asare Opoku decried the absence of a single park worth its name in Ghana. He said the exercise should be led by traditional leaders with active participation of students from all cycles of education. He believes a greener environment would uplift peoples’ spirit and facilitate a sense of hopefulness and naturalness. He challenged local and municipal councils to find solutions to roaming and stray animals in cities and towns.
The retired professor who attended the Universities of Ghana, Legon Bonn, Germany, and Yale in the U.S. and lectured at Legon, the University of North Carolina, and Lafayette College in the U.S is an avid farmer. He has dedicated a 39-acre virgin forest Ananse Akuraa tucked 35 miles away from Accra as his personal contribution to mankind. “When all lands are desiccated, decimated, and dissipated in Ghana, Ananse Akuraa would serve as a natural habitat for man and beast”, he added.
The Ananse Village, full of medicinal and other indigenous and foreign plants, has been visited by international students as well as local and foreign dignataries .

Posted by admin on May 5 2014. Filed under top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry