By: Jeremiah Nutsugah
Abdul Hakim Awal, a 23-year-old journalist from Kumasi, has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest time spent hugging a tree.
His remarkable feat, which lasted 24 hours and 21 minutes, took place outside the Kumasi Cultural Centre.
According to Guinness World Records, Awal undertook the challenge to highlight the importance of nature conservation in Ghana.
Awal’s achievement surpasses the previous record of 16 hours, set by Ugandan environmental activist Faith Patricia Ariokot earlier this year.
During his record attempt, Awal pledged to plant a new tree for every minute he spent hugging the tree. After completing the 24-hour marathon, he planted a total of 1,461 trees.
The rules of the record attempt stipulated that Awal could not take any breaks and had to remain standing with his arms wrapped around the tree for the entire duration.
With this achievement, the record title has been modified to “Longest Marathon Hugging a Tree.
Awal is not the first Ghanaian to set a tree-hugging world record this year, following in the footsteps of Abubakar Tahiru, a forestry student based in the US, who set a record for hugging the most trees in one hour with a total of 1,123.
