Ghana’s schools should play a central role in the country’s reforestation efforts, with fruit-bearing species prioritised to deliver nutritional and ecological benefits simultaneously, a University of Cape Coast academic has argued.
Dr. Frank Ackah, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, said many school compounds across the country hold unused land well suited for tree planting, particularly species such as mango, avocado and papaya that can feed students while contributing to broader environmental restoration goals.
He argued that moving beyond ornamental and timber species toward fruit trees would give students a direct and tangible relationship with the trees they plant and maintain, building a culture of environmental responsibility from an early age rather than treating conservation as an abstract concept.
Dr. Ackah acknowledged that not all schools have the space to plant within their own grounds, but said institutions in that position could extend planting into surrounding community areas, provided clear ownership and protection agreements are reached with local residents. Such arrangements, he noted, would expand green cover while also deepening community ownership of environmental protection as both students and residents take shared responsibility for maintaining the trees.
He further pointed to urbanisation as a factor increasing the urgency of school-based planting. As concrete development continues to reduce green spaces in towns and cities across Ghana, schools become more important as entry points for restoration efforts in communities that have lost significant vegetation cover.
Dr. Ackah called for a coordinated national approach that formally integrates tree planting into the education system, arguing that schools offer one of Ghana’s most sustainable and scalable platforms for advancing its long-term reforestation agenda given their nationwide reach and capacity to shape environmental values in young people.
