Climate change mitigation – Otumfuo Osei Tutu joins global efforts

For two decades, the Asantehene has demonstrated exemplary leadership that has been hailed not only in Ghana but on the international stage as well.

More than 300,000 students have received full scholarship from basic to university level as at April, this year, when the Asante Monarch celebrated his 20th Anniversary on the throne.

Then came the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation, which sought to improve the lives of Ghanaians by implementing the ideals, values and visions of the King. Aside initiatives targeting the provision of infrastructure in the areas of technology, healthcare and water, the foundation also works towards enhancing access to quality education through the rehabilitation and provision of state-of-the-art education infrastructure.

The Asante King has also earned remarkable respect for the significant role he played in the roadmap to broker peace in the protracted Dagbon chieftaincy feud, which, for many years, claimed dozens of lives.Just recently, students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) embarked on a violent demonstration, which led to the closure of the University after they caused extensive damage to property.

All efforts to reopen the University proved futile following a standoff between the Government and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) over steps taken to reopen the University.These are a few of many leadership qualities exhibited by the Asantehene, which have impacted the lives of thousands of Ghanaians over the years.

The King has rolled out a comprehensive programme to plant 25 million trees around river bodies in the Ashanti Kingdom for the next five years. This, according to him, is his little contribution towards the global fight against climate change, which continues to pose a serious threat to human health across the world. The project, which is a partnership between the King and the Oheneba Poku Foundation, specializing in corporate social responsibility, would be implemented in two phases.

A Tripartite Agreement has been signed between UNESCO, the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing and Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, custodian of the lake to implement a sustainable management plan for the entire Lake Bosomtwe Biosphere Reserve.Increasing afforestation and reforestation in degraded forest areas, improving participatory forest management as well as climate resilience and biomass production would be the main focus of the project.

The expectation is that the provision of ecosystem services such as quality air, carbon sequestration, local climate regulation, soil erosion control, and watershed protection would improve and enhance longevity and quality of water bodies.Consequently, a body known as the Bosomtwe Community Resources Management Areas (CREMA), made up of indigenes in the various communities dotted around the lake has been set up to undertake the planting exercise. CREMA would work in close collaboration with the traditional rulers of the 30 communities within the project area.

Priority would be given to buffer areas that host sacred groves to preserve the sanctity of those areas.As part of efforts to encourage active participation in the project by the indigenes, a scholarship scheme to reward farmers who demonstrate a high level of commitment to the project, would be instituted.

All major river bodies in the Ashanti Kingdom would also be protected under the second phase of the project. Most of these rivers serve as sources of drinking water for thousands of people yet they continue to dwindle in size due to negative human activities, such as illegal logging of trees in their catchment areas as well as wanton pollution.

It is for these reasons that the depleted stock of trees on river banks are going to be replenished under the project.They would be educated on how to conserve the top soil such that it would not be affected by erosion in order to maintain the nutrients and micro-organisms in the soil for higher yields.The Asantehene described the project as “very dear” to his heart and pledged his commitment to leading the crusade for the restoration of the green environment, which was synonymous with his Kingdom in the past.

He has, consequently, sounded a strong note of caution to any chief within his jurisdiction found culpable of selling lands designated as buffer areas of river bodies, for their private gains.Otumfuo Osei Tutu has shown traditional leadership in the global climate change mitigation efforts by leading the national crusade and encouraging other traditional rulers and local people to respond by planting trees to preserve water bodies and enhance carbon sequestration.

GNA