Bongo Chief warns deforestation causing severe weather impact in Northern Ghana

The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area is sounding the alarm over rampant deforestation in his district, warning that the removal of mahogany trees along a major road has left communities along the road vulnerable to severe storms.

The district-wide deforestation has to irregular rainfall.
Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Aleemyarum recounted his decision to allow contractors to cut down mahogany trees during a road-widening project, a choice that initially faced community opposition.

What followed, he said, was a harsh lesson in the critical role those trees played in protecting local settlements.

“My brother, the calamities that we have faced after cutting those trees, then I realized that the trees were solving a very big problem for us,” the chief said in a recent engagement with the media. “The year they cut the trees, the storm that came and hit our homes wasn’t small.”

The mahogany trees, positioned along the eastern side of the road, had served as a natural windbreak against storms sweeping through the area. Their removal left homes exposed to the full force of the wind, resulting in significant damage to residential structures.

Beyond storm protection, the chief cited dramatic shifts in rainfall patterns this year. The district received less rain than usual, with the last significant rainfall occurring in late September. The entire month of October passed without precipitation, leaving farmers who planted crops later in the season struggling with hardened soil and failed harvests.

“All those who planted rice at a later time, most of their rice is spoiled because at that time they were looking for water. There’s no water,” the chief explained.

The problem extends beyond the road project. Residents have increasingly turned to cutting trees for charcoal production, accelerating deforestation across the district. The chief described the rate of tree destruction as “too high” and warned that those seeking to make a living from the practice are “causing more harm” to their own communities.

In response to the crisis, Naba Aleemyarum has appointed environmental chiefs, known as Tijinaro, in consultation with his subchiefs. These officials are tasked with preventing illegal tree cutting and promoting tree planting initiatives across the district.

“If they find anybody cutting a tree, we will not take light with such a person,” the chief warned.
The traditional leader emphasized that successful reforestation requires more than just planting. “The problem is you plant the trees and then you don’t protect them, don’t take care of them. It’s useless,” he said, calling for full-time custodians to ensure planted trees survive and mature.

The chief appealed to charitable organizations to support tree-planting efforts in Bongo, with the goal of “greening” the district in the near future.

Reporting by Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith in the Upper East Region