The government has banned the harvesting of rosewood, according to Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
This is one of two strategies for preserving the country's forests and wildlife reserves.
According to him, it is necessary to preserve the environment from harm, which is why his Ministry has taken this stance.
He reaffirmed the government's commitment to conserving Ghana's forests during the opening of this year's Green Ghana program on Friday at the Efua Sutherland's Children's Park, saying that the government is resolved to strive towards the Sustainable Goal Development, number 15.
"In order to fulfill our responsibility of maintaining our country's forest and animal resources, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and its agencies have adopted
Stopping deforestation is the first step in protecting our current forest and animal resources. As a result, save in rare circumstances, we have halted or recognized all prospecting, prospecting, and exploratory operations in forest reserves.
We have put an outright ban on the harvesting, salvaging, trading, exporting, and importing of Rosewood, and we have stopped issuing the CITES permit, which is required to legally trade in Rosewood on the international market, where the cartels involved in this business ply their trade," he said.
"The Forestry Commission has formed a quick reaction team that is working with other security authorities to guarantee strict compliance with these restrictions and to crack down on all illicit logging activity," he continued.
In addition, the Commission has implemented a solar-powered electronic wood monitoring system that allows it to follow wood from the forest until its final disposal. Additionally, there is a digital property mark and registration system that allows loggers to register and renew their property marks from the comfort of their own homes."
The sector minister also emphasized the importance of trees and urged everyone to become involved in the Green Ghana initiative.
President Akufo-Addo, for one, remarked that despite the difficult weather conditions, many of the seedlings planted last year as part of the Green Ghana Day campaign survived.
"In the end, we planted almost seven million trees; 80 percent of which have survived and are doing extremely well," he stated at a ceremony marking the 2022 Green Ghana Day at the Efua Sutherland Children's Park on Friday, June 10.
As an intervention, the government established a goal of planting five million trees to assist repair the country's deteriorated landscape and minimize the effects of climate change.
At the end of the activity, almost seven million trees had been planted, exceeding the goal. 20 million tree seedlings are planned to be planted this year.
Mr Akufo-Addo said, "I want to use this opportunity to thank you all, my fellow Ghanaians, and everyone who contributed to the success of that initiative."
The President called for increased collaboration and action from all parties in the repair of devastated environments. He noted that the trees planted require adequate care to maintain their growth, which he believes is everyone's responsibility.
"Happily, Green Ghana Day is apolitical in nature, since we all agree that we must leave a greener, more sustainable future to future generations - whatever of their political affiliations."
"We want to plant at least 20 million trees this year." Even while 20 million may seem like a lot, it's a drop in the bucket compared to what we've lost over time. "Trees, and specifically forests, are essential for our personal life as well as the survival of our world," he remarked.