ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 3 — Millions of Ethiopians and foreign nationals in the country took part in a nationwide tree-planting campaign on Monday, aiming to plant a record-breaking 800 million tree seedlings in a single day as part of the national reforestation drive.
The nationwide event is part of the country’s flagship Green Legacy Initiative, launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2019.
As part of this year’s edition of the initiative, the East African country aims to plant a total of more than 8 billion seedlings in the rainy season.
Thirteen-year-old Edilawit Legesse was among the millions of Ethiopians who participated in Monday’s nationwide tree-planting event.
While planting seedlings in the Alembank neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa, Legesse noted that Monday marked her third consecutive year to take part in the annual tree-planting campaign.
“I just planted my second seedling today. Alongside my family and others in our community, I have been waiting for this moment with great enthusiasm,” Legesse told Xinhua.
At another planting site near the Entoto Mountain in the capital, Hewan Legesse, a nurse from a local hospital, joined her colleagues in planting seedlings as well.
“My plan is to plant 10 trees today, and there are 35 of us who have come to join this campaign,” the nurse said.
As Ethiopia works toward achieving its aspiration of building a green, lower-middle-income economy in the near future, the massive government-led tree-planting initiative has gained momentum in recent years.
Abiy said that the annual nationwide one-day planting effort is “a moment when Ethiopians from all walks of life come together to create a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
“Eight years of consistent action. The Green Legacy Initiative continues to grow stronger, driven by public commitment and the shared belief that, together, Ethiopians can nurture a greener, more sustainable future,” Abiy said on X, formerly Twitter, after planting seedlings.
With the addition of more than 8 billion new tree seedlings this year, the country aims to surpass its ambitious goal of planting 50 billion trees since the launch of the Green Legacy Initiative back in 2019.
The initiative has become a flagship national environmental program aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, expanding the country’s lost forest cover, strengthening climate resilience by combating deforestation, conserving biodiversity, and fostering sustainable development through mass tree planting and ecosystem restoration. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
