Tree for life initiative restores over 20,000 hectares as government intensifies forest protection-Armah Kofi Buah
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has announced significant gains in Ghana’s forestry sector, highlighting the restoration of more than 20,000 hectares of degraded land through the government’s flagship Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, the Minister said the initiative, launched by President John Dramani Mahama, is aimed at restoring degraded forest reserves and mined-out lands into ecologically functional landscapes as part of government’s environmental restoration agenda.
According to him, more than 31 million tree seedlings were planted in 2025, surpassing the target of 30 million. The programme recorded survival rates of between 50 and 78 percent in the northern savannah zone and 65 to 85 percent in the high forest zone, leading to the restoration of about 20,360 hectares of degraded landscapes.
Mr. Armah Kofi Buah said the ministry has maintained its target of planting 30 million seedlings this year, with the exercise commencing on June 5 and continuing throughout the rainy season.
To support the programme, he said the Forestry Commission has engaged and deployed 2,719 Youth Forest Champions to undertake nursery operations, seedling production, site preparation, tree planting, maintenance, wildfire prevention and the protection of forest reserves.
He appealed to the public and corporate institutions to actively participate in the national tree planting campaign and expressed appreciation to stakeholders supporting the initiative.
On the fight against illegal mining in forest reserves, the Minister said intensified enforcement operations over the past six months resulted in the arrest of 258 suspects. He added that six excavators were demobilised, 1,225 pumping machines seized, 765 chamber machines dismantled, 35 tricycles and motorbikes destroyed, 212 stretchers destroyed, 430 water hoses destroyed, and 40 gold detectors seized.
He noted that the absence of any “red zones” in the country’s forest reserves demonstrates that government, working with the Forestry Commission, is firmly in control of the nation’s protected forests.
The Minister also announced that the ministry, in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, is developing a Legislative Instrument to operationalise the Wildlife Resource Management Act, 2023 (Act 1115). He said the legislation will strengthen Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) by providing the legal framework for greater community participation in sustainable forest management.
On land reclamation, Mr. Armah Kofi Buah disclosed that 1,335 acres of degraded mined-out land were reclaimed in the Ashanti Region last year through partnerships with the private sector. He said government aims to reclaim an additional 1,500 acres through private sector collaboration this year, alongside 960 acres under government-led reclamation programmes.
The Minister further revealed plans to expand ecotourism facilities to increase revenue from forest and wildlife resources. These include the completion of a 120-seater picnic area and 10-unit chalet at the Shai Hills Resource Reserve, as well as a 20-room tourist accommodation facility and restaurant at Mole National Park.
He encouraged private sector investors to partner with the Forestry Commission to develop ecotourism infrastructure, describing Ghana’s forest reserves as valuable destinations for recreation, conservation and sustainable economic growth.
