The Youth Alliance for Green Ghana (Y.A.G.G.), has conveyed its words of commendation to Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, and all stakeholders who contributed to the thought and institution of the Green Ghana Initiative. It said in a statement “In the same magnitude, we congratulate the good people of Ghana for the massive support and cooperation demonstrated in making the Green Ghana (National Tree Planting) Day marked on 11th June 2021, fruitful. As young people devoted and committed to ensuring a Green Ghana, we find the overwhelming support given the initiative, a pure testament of the responsiveness of the Ghanaian people to the cause of achieving environmental sustainability in the country”. On the back of this praise according to the group is the reminder to the government to take the right action by securing Atewa Forest against all forms of mining activities. “An occasion to serve a gentle reminder to the government and the good people of Ghana, of the inherent socio-ecological wealth the Atewa Forest presents to our dear country. The Atewa Forest, and its geological architecture it said, is a hydrological gem of the country, providing invaluable water services to over 5 million Ghanaian. Despite all the lapses in protecting the place over the years, the forest remains one of the most biologically rich habitats in the world, with so many species found nowhere else in the world and over a 100 species categorized endangered on the global Red List of species. “Scientists have also described the Atewa Forest as providing the last buffering areas to help maintain suitable climate for food security and wellbeing in the face of global warming. By all standards, Atewa Forest is not a place to be traded by any Government, or Corporation for its bauxite resources which is beneath all these invaluable services”, it said. The Youth Alliance for Green Ghana has therefore appealed to the government to as a matter of urgency, desist from any mining activities in the forest and all other forests, reserved for ecological purposes in the country. “Our dear country is blessed; in mineral, human, forests and many other resources. As a people, we have since time immemorial symbolized hope and resilience to many across the world. Now as the world faces a climate and environmental emergency with its countless uncertainties, let us remain the beacon of hope. Let us continue to symbolize our legacy, of an ecologically accountable society for future generations”, the statement added.