The government has reclaimed all nine red zone forest reserves previously occupied by armed groups and planted 7.8 million trees as part of President John Dramani Mahama’s drive to plant 30 million trees nationwide by October 2025.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, announced the milestone during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Wednesday.
He revealed that the Forestry Commission, working with law enforcement, had regained control of the forests, allowing forestry guards to patrol freely.
“At the beginning of my service as minister, I informed the people of Ghana of the crisis we face,” Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah said.
“But I am happy to tell you today that we have repossessed all these forests. While the repossession doesn’t mean we are completely out of the woods, our officers can now enter, patrol, and call for reinforcements when needed.”
He disclosed that over 5,500 hectares of forest reserves—equivalent to about 7,500 football fields—have been degraded by illegal mining, illegal logging, wildfires, and unsustainable farming.
As part of the crackdown on illegal timber trade, he revealed, “We intercepted 279 trucks carrying illegal lumber. These trucks were fined, the lumber confiscated and auctioned, as part of our efforts to promote legal timber trade.”
Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah also highlighted progress on the Tree for Life initiative, launched by President Mahama in March at Nkawie in the Ashanti Region. The nationwide tree planting exercise began on June 5, with the President personally leading the campaign.
“As of mid-July 2025, a total of 7.8 million seedlings have been distributed and planted, of which 2.3 million were planted by the private sector,” he said.
“The campaign is ongoing, and with the hard work of the Forestry Commission, we are confident of meeting the 30 million tree target by October this year.”
The initiative, he stressed, is central to government efforts to restore degraded lands, protect biodiversity, and strengthen Ghana’s climate resilience.
