The Foni Development Association (FDA) in partnership with the Ministry of Forestry and the Environment, recently planted over 15, 000 varieties of trees in Foni Kansala District in Western Region.

The exercise which covered a distance of 8 km, started from Kanfenda to the Kanilai highway and then to  President Jammeh's farm in Santanba Village. Speaking to this reporter during the exercise, Amadou A Badjie, the secretary general of the association, highlighted the need to plant more trees in order to rehabilitate the lost forest cover. He said lots of forests have been deforested in the country and that if nothing is done, it will lead to low rainfall and low crop production.

Abdoulie A Sanneh, the director of Forestry, said  the ultimate aim of the exercise is to complement the one million tree planting exercise initiated by the president, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya AJJ Jammeh.  According to him, the purpose of planting trees on the selected sites will help stabilise the soil and prevent erosion by wind or water and also maintain the strength and duration of the roads.

Sanneh urged the Brikama Area Council to come up with strategies to protect the trees in such means as providing fencing materials in order to maintain the success of the trees in growth, duration and sustainability. The director general of the Gambia Tourism Authority, Binta Jobe, spoke at length about the importance of the exercise, saying it will contribute immensely to promoting sustainable tourism .

Sunkary Badjie, the chairman of Brikama Area Council, commended the Foni Development Association and the Ministry of Forestry and the Environment for the initiative, noting that the exercise is a step in the right direction.