The exercise, held under the slogan: ‘Banjul Goes Greener’, was conducted by the students, partners of BCC from the Belgian city of Oostende, representatives from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) and residents of Banjul.
The initiative was aimed at keeping the city safe from the menace of climate change.
Awa Sillah-Njie, deputy Mayor of Banjul, said trees are vital to the survival of people and the well-being of the environment.
“Not only do they improve the quality of the air people breath, but also contribute significantly to the efforts of mitigating the impacts of climate change and its negative threats,” she said.
Mrs Sillah-Njie assured all of the “full commitment” of the council towards the ‘Banjul Goes Greener’ initiative.
The deputy Mayor urged the people of Banjul to join the crusade of environment regeneration, while thanking the Forestry department for providing more than one hundred trees for the planting exercise.
Peeter Vanslambrouch, Oostende-Banjul City Link coordinator, said the tree planting will help in the protection of the environment from erosion and other environmental threats.
“Trees also play a very significant role in human life. They serve as food, provide shade as well beautify the environment,” he said.
“Trees don’t only make the environment beautiful, but also serve as habitat for other living organisms such as birds,” he added.
Musa Mendy, senior education officer at MoBSE, urged students to protect the trees within their school premises.
He said the only way to avert the impact of climate change is to plant more trees and sustain them.
The first tree was planted at the BCC by the deputy Mayor and AlhagieSillah, National Assembly Member for Banjul North.
