By Amadou Jadama
GSM giant Africell on Saturday joined popular Gambian rapper ST to implement the first phase of a massive tree-planting exercise the two sides agreed to carry out.
Africell is donating 500 trees to be planted in three Africell plating days. The first one took place in Gunjur beach Saturday and as God would have it, under rains.
Speaking at the event, musician ST said the one million tree-planting initiative is a contribution he thought about to restore the Gambia’s environment.
“We all know without trees life will be hard for us, and we have to take things seriously because this tree planting is for the Gambians. We need to plant one million trees in five years, and we have lot of other avenues to go in the country,” he said.
He called on private companies to emulate Africell’s example by coming forward to partner his foundation is this initiative.
Waka Jagne, senior PR and events manager of Africell, who represented the Chief Executive Officer, said his company recently launched the Africell Impact Foundation and instantly thought it prudent and timely to collaborate with ST Foundation in this noble initiative which is very much in the same spirit and objective of our Impact Foundation focusing on health, education and environment.
He vowed that Africell will continue to support and encourage ST to keep up the good work.
Mr Jagne further called on Gambians especially the youths to emulate ST.
Tijan Bojang, chairperson of Gunjur VDC and staff at the Central Forecast Unit, expressed appreciation of the initiative which he said is equally important for the Guntur community in general.
Mr Bojang said trees are the most effective mitigation mechanism for the climate change impact.
Alieu Mendy of the Ding Ding Yiriwa Federation, an affiliate of ChildFund, said the tree planting exercise is a noble initiative with which his group is happy to be associated.
The event was attended by large presence and participation of enthusiastic youths from Gunjur and surroundings.
