Bui Power plants over 20,000 trees to restore Bono landscape
By: Rebecca Okine
The Bui Power Authority (BPA), in partnership with three farming communities in the Banda District of the Bono Region, has planted over 20,000 tree seedlings of various species to reforest the degraded Bui landscape.
The initiative, carried out at the Bui Generating Station (BGS) enclave, aims to protect the Black Volta Basin and safeguard energy sustainability through the water–energy–forest nexus.
The beneficiary communities include Bui, Battor and Dokokyina, all of which host the BPA.
Under the Tree for Life (T4L) initiative, participants planted forest tree species including teak, mahogany, ceiba, oframo, gmelina, dawadawa and mentalis.
The exercise forms part of broader environmental protection strategies by BPA to restore degraded lands and promote biodiversity.
BPA Board Chairman, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, said the Authority had rolled out flagship programmes such as the Forest Resource Enhancement Programme (FREP) and the Zero-Bushfire Campaign to support ecological restoration.
“These initiatives show that BPA is not only fulfilling its energy mandate, but is also emerging as a leader in sustainable development and ecological restoration. Environmental stewardship is not only a slogan for BPA; it is a national and moral obligation,” he said.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo commended the communities, local institutions and the BPA Resettlement D/A School for supporting the exercise.
Acting Chief Executive Officer, Kow Eduakwa Sam, reaffirmed BPA’s commitment to generating energy from clean and sustainable sources.
He outlined the Authority’s energy portfolio, which includes a 404-megawatt hydroelectric plant, a 50MW solar PV plant, a 5MW floating solar facility and nearly 200MW of solar projects under construction.
“Our environmental stewardship complements our energy mission. It’s about climate action, water conservation and food security,” Mr Sam stated.
He stressed that sustainability must go beyond policy to become a daily practice, pledging continuous support for the T4L initiative.
The Director of Occupational Health, Safety, Security and Environment, Chrisentus B. Kuunifaa, noted that the tree planting underscores BPA’s commitment to rebuilding and renewing the environment in the face of illegal mining, bushfires, climate change and biodiversity loss.
Deputy Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Emmanuel Antwi, commended BPA for its role in protecting the environment.
He called on the public to plant and nurture trees to maturity, stressing that such actions reduce carbon footprints, support food security and regulate the climate.
The exercise is part of BPA’s ongoing mission to integrate renewable energy production with sustainable environmental practices, ensuring that natural resources remain protected for future generations.
