Ghana Headmaster Returns to Trees He Planted as Student

Reverend Abugbilla Bukari walks through Bawku Senior High School in Ghana and can point to trees he planted with his own hands more than 30 years ago. In 2024, he returned to the same school as its headmaster, ready to inspire a new generation of tree planters.

Bukari arrived at Bawku SHS as a student in 1991. The following year, his headmaster led students in creating the school's first woodlot, planting trees that would eventually shade the entire campus.

The effort earned the school a national tree planting award in 1992. Bukari still remembers the celebration, with truckloads of rice and cooking oil arriving to feed students for nearly a month.

"I still remember some of the trees I personally planted," he said. "They are standing today as a testament to the work we did."

Three decades later, Bukari saw his headmaster appointment as a chance to continue the tradition. In 2024, students and staff planted 480 Acacia trees on campus, with 450 surviving for an impressive 94 percent survival rate.

Final year student Ahmed Faizatu Akudugu explained why the trees matter. "They provide spaces for recreation, beautify the school environment and help regulate temperatures on the campus," she said.

Another student, Asianib Elizabeth Apoasaan, connected the planting to larger climate goals. She thanked the headmaster for encouraging the program and hopes future students will value what they started.

The Ripple Effect

Bawku SHS joined Ghana's national Green Ghana Project, which launched in 2021 to restore forest cover. The 2024 goal was 10 million seedlings nationwide, but the country exceeded expectations by distributing nearly 14 million.

The school's Agriculture Department head, Awini Bashiru Issah, sees tree planting as essential education. "They learn by doing, which helps them understand the process and appreciate its importance," he said about his students.

Ghana's climate is changing, with temperatures projected to rise about 1.5 degrees Celsius by century's end. While tree planting alone cannot reverse climate change, it helps regulate local temperatures and stores carbon as trees grow.

The school faces one challenge: wandering livestock that threaten young trees when surrounding vegetation becomes sparse. A perimeter wall measuring 3.29 kilometers has been proposed and contracted through GETFund, and Bukari is appealing for the work to begin.

Students who plant trees today will return decades from now to find shade their own hands created, just as their headmaster did.