Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu is seen here watering the tree after planting
Members of the Ghana National Association of Adventist Students, University of Ghana (GNAAS-UG), have given support to the Vice-Chancellor’s Green project when the group engaged in a tree planting exercise over the weekend. Under the auspices of the VC Green Project Committee, the students who were commemorating the climax of the Global Public Campus Ministries Weekend, an event which is celebrated annually by Seventh-Day Adventist students on public campuses across the world, dedicated the last day of the week-long celebration to undertake a Tree Planting on the Campus of the University.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu in a photograph with Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu (Chair of VC Green Project Sub Committee on Parks, Beautification and Tree Planting) and some students
Joining the students for the tree planting exercise were Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, (Chair of VC Green Project Sub Committee on Parks, Beautification and Tree Planting), Mr. Charles Kofi Nti (member of the Sub Committee), Mr. Philip Quaye (member of the Sub Committee), Pastor Nathan Teye Odonkor, Executive Secretary of the Accra City Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Godswill T.K. Mensah, Public Campus Ministries Director of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and Pastor Elorm Edison, GNAAS-UG Chaplain. The others present included the Deputy Curator and staff of Parks and Gardens at Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate, UG.
Mr. Ishmael Noye Annang, President of the GNAAS-UG, who lauded the Vice-Chancellor’s Green Project, thanked the Vice-Chancellor for making the time to join members in the tree planting exercise. Others guests present also took turns to affirm the vision of the Vice-Chancellor, encouraging the students to own the vision and see to its fulfillment.
The chair of the Sub Committee on Parks, Beautification and Tree Planting, Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, in brief remarks, was full of praise for the students and noted: “You students are now making history but you may not realize it now… in ten to fifty years you will look back and say I was part of this history, beautifying the campus and contributing towards the environmental sanitation of the University.”
On his part, the Vice Chancellor noted that his original plan was to get students to own the project, but he had no response as yet, thus he was grateful to GNAAS-UG for the initiative to take up this project of greening campus through the planting of trees:
…the first group I discussed this with, is student leadership. I thought they were going to come up with a spirit – that spirit of voluntarism…it never happened! But I’m glad that at least you have come out to lead the project. I’m extremely grateful for that.
Prof. Oduro Owusu also directed that a signage be erected at the venue where the planting exercise took place (i.e. the Noguchi end of Hilla Limann Hall) in honour of the GNAAS-UG. He charged the students to encourage other student groups to take up the VC Green Project considering that it will have immense benefits for the University and the nation at large.
Ayeeko for a good work done: A group picture after the tree planting exercise
Underscoring the need for a national model to improve afforestation and waste management in Ghana, Prof. Oduro Owusu recommended the UG model as indicated in his five-pillar vision code-named, “RINER.”
…there’s the need to develop a model for this country, and that model should be the UG model. It’s not only with tree planting; it has to do with waste disposal……”
Altogether, almost 200 trees were planted at the venue. Members of the GNAAS-UG resolved to visit the venue frequently to ensure that all the necessary post-planting practices are carried out.
