By Mohamed LaminBanya

The Environmental Foundation for Africa has trained Community based organizations and councilors on phase two the Freetown the Tree town Campaign project. The Freetown the Tree town Campaign is an initiative of Freetown Municipality Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr to plant about 1 million trees in catchment areas across Freetown and the Peniinsula in order to reforest areas that have deforest.

Project Coordinator Freetown the tress town campaign, Lyndon Baines-Johnson said the project is being implemented through CBO’s to manage the communities where trees are required to be planted.

The training of the CBO’s and Councilors according to Mr. Baines-Johnson is to give insight on what they are required to do alongside the councilors.

Mr. Bainse-Johnson disclosed that the CBO’s and Councilors are designated to recruit plant growers, train community climate action ambassadors and seedlings suppliers.

According to him project is been funded by World Bank, through Finance ministry and that they The Environmental Foundation for Africa are implementing the project on council’s behalf, adding that their organization was established to liaise with partners for the protection of the environment in terms tree planting, renewable and interventions of climate change

He noted that the trees planting which is in three cycles ranging from 2020, 2021 and 2022 is as a result of the rapid deforestation in Freetown.

“We have seen a lot of trees that have cut in the upper catchment areas causing the country to prone to disasters” he said.

He went on say that targeted areas for the campaign are based on the multi city hazard report that was put out by UN after the mudslide in Freetown, which according to is the reason for the campaign to make Freetown the tree town as it used to be.

“We started phase one in 2020, and during that process we planted 250,000 that are growing presently. This is phase two which we are holding inception workshop to commence and it and we are planning to plant 300,000 trees this year added to one last year” he said.

He noted that they are planning to 450,000 trees that will be surmounting to 1million trees they want to plant because nature based solution is one way stop climate change and that is tree planting.

Chairman Environment Committee FCC, Councilor Murray AlieConteh said the 15 wards across Freetown will be benefiting from the phase two campaign, noting that the training was for the councilors meet and know the contractors in charge of the trees planting in their wards.

He added that the campaign will have a lot of potentials that Freetonians will benefit of because of the mass deforestation in the municipality.

“We want to ensure that we continuously embark on trees planting to avert other disaster in Freetown and the Peninsula” he said.

He noted that the essence of them wanting to embark on the campaign is to contribute to the beautification of their city.