Marking a milestone in its Green Legacy Initiative, Ethiopia has launched a national reforestation campaign of planting 700 million tree seedlings
Ethiopia has embarked on a bold and historic environmental mission, launching a nationwide campaign aimed at planting 700 million trees in a single day. This initiative is part of the country’s broader Green Legacy program, a reforestation and climate resilience strategy championed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since its inception in 2019.
The campaign, now in its seventh year, reflects Ethiopia’s growing commitment to sustainable development and ecological restoration. The ultimate goal is to plant 50 billion trees by 2026, positioning the nation as a global leader in climate action.
A National Effort with Massive Participation
Before sunrise on Thursday, Tesfahun Gobezay, State Minister for the Ethiopian Government Communication Services, reported that 355 million seedlings had already been planted by approximately 14.9 million Ethiopians. These figures, while difficult to independently verify, underscore the scale of the mobilization across the country.
With a population exceeding 120 million, Ethiopia’s tree-planting campaign has relied heavily on the participation of citizens, government institutions, schools, and community organizations. The operation spans all regions of the country, with volunteers working throughout the day to meet the ambitious target.
Prime Minister Abiy’s Vision
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in the early hours of the campaign, rallying citizens with a message of unity and environmental responsibility:
“We kicked off this year’s one-day Green Legacy planting early this morning. Our goal for the 7th year is 700 million seedlings. Let’s achieve it together.”
The Green Legacy program has been a cornerstone of Abiy’s administration, with tree planting seen not only as an environmental effort but also as a unifying national project.
Progress So Far and Future Goals
According to government data, Ethiopia has planted approximately 40 billion tree seedlings since the campaign began in 2019. The program’s target for 2025 is to plant 7.5 billion trees, putting the nation on track to reach the 50 billion goal by the following year.
In addition to reforestation, the Green Legacy initiative seeks to combat land degradation, improve agricultural productivity, restore biodiversity, and mitigate the impacts of climate change, which have increasingly affected the Horn of Africa through droughts and desertification.
International Attention and Challenges
Ethiopia’s reforestation efforts have drawn praise from environmental organizations and global observers, though they also face challenges. These include ensuring the survival rate of planted seedlings, providing adequate water and care in drought-prone areas, and verifying the accuracy of reported planting figures.
Nonetheless, the campaign is widely seen as a landmark example of large-scale environmental mobilization in Africa and beyond.
As Ethiopia moves forward with its Green Legacy, the country continues to set bold targets and inspire regional and international efforts in environmental conservation. The massive tree-planting campaign serves as a reminder of what coordinated action, strong leadership, and grassroots participation can achieve in the fight against climate change.
