The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has marked World Environment Day with a tree-planting exercise in the Ashanti South Region, as part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability and restore vegetation cover in Kumasi.

Led by the Ashanti South Regional General Manager, Ing. Jonathan Kofi Adjabeng, staff and management of the utility company planted seedlings of indigenous and near-extinct tree species in selected areas.

The initiative, according to ECG, forms part of its corporate environmental responsibility agenda aimed at balancing power distribution operations with environmental protection.

Ing. Adjabeng said while vegetation management is necessary to ensure reliable electricity supply, it can also affect the natural environment.

“Trees and vegetation we clear often serve as habitats for various species of birds and other wildlife,” he said, adding that the company was committed to restoring lost vegetation.

He noted that trees removed along power-line corridors could not be replanted in the same locations, hence the decision to plant more trees in suitable areas with limited vegetation cover.

The programme, he said, would be extended to other communities within ECG’s operational areas in partnership with basic schools, to encourage environmental awareness among children.

“Children are the custodians of tomorrow’s environment,” he said, adding that early involvement in tree planting would help build lifelong environmental responsibility.

He urged corporate organisations, public institutions and communities to support afforestation efforts to increase Ghana’s forest cover and protect biodiversity.

The Regional Safety Officer, Grace Appiah, said environmental conservation remained central to sustainable development and called for collective responsibility in nurturing newly planted trees.

The Forestry Commission and the Ashanti Regional Minister supported the exercise, which ECG says forms part of its broader sustainability commitments alongside reliable power delivery.