The Ashanti Regional Security Council has taken decisive steps to tackle the issue of stray cattle on the streets of Kumasi by establishing a dedicated task force.
Announcing the initiative during a press briefing, Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah stated that the objective is to reclaim the city from the intrusion of these animals.
Following an inspection of newly planted trees as part of the Green Ghana Day initiative, the Regional Minister emphasized the negative impact of roaming cattle on the region’s greening efforts.
Recognizing the challenge of restraining cattle, Mr. Osei Mensah explained the rationale behind forming an external task force. He mentioned that task force members would be compensated for their services and entrusted with protecting the planted trees from cattle interference.
Mr. Osei Mensah assured that the allocated budget would cover the task force’s expenses for an initial one-year period and could be renewed based on resource availability.
“You know, it is not easy to catch a cow. It is extremely difficult, so we are going to get some of those people who are good at it to do the work for us. We are going to engage them, we will pay them, and it will be their responsibility to ensure that the trees that we planted will not be consumed by or destroyed by the cattle.
“We will pay them during the period that is for a whole year, and if it is possible to have adequate resources to sustain it, then we sustain them the following year too.”