This year’s slogan for the Green Legacy Initiative is “A Nation that plants, a generation that sustains” and 7.5 billion tree samplings will be planted in order to reach the milestone of 40 billion by the end of this rainy season. During the launching ceremony of this year’s Green Legacy Initiative, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called upon all to continue being a part of this year’s program. The prime minister along with his deputy Temesgen Tiruneh and the staff of the Prime Minister’s Office were engaged in planting indigenous Green Legacy seedlings within the Chaka Compound.
The goal for this year is to reach 40 billion tree seedlings and in order to give more emphasis to the campaign, a special day of planting tree seedlings has been fixed for 23rd August in which 600 million tree seedlings will be planted in a day. This is a record compared to other similar initiatives carried out by Ethiopians. Ethiopia has so far planted 32.5 billion trees in five years. While planting new tree seedlings the process of uprooting eucalyptus and replacing them with indigenous varieties has continued.
Prime Minister Abiy said, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative has created conducive environment to expand indigenous knowledge on soil preservation across the country.
On the occasion of the planting of trees on the Chaka Project, community members drawn from Harar and Konso have participated in the planting activity by working on terraces in order to stop the problems with soil erosion in the surrounding area. It was in that regard that the eucalyptus trees were replaced by indigenous trees.
During the program Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that this year’s Green Legacy Program will be carried out differently from the previous years. The main focus will be on preserving soil erosion because it has been a hindrance in planting seedlings due to soil erosion. At present indigenous plants including fruits like apple are being cultivated.
The premier further underscored the need to expand similar indigenous knowledge that exists in other areas across the nation commending the farmers of Harar and Konso for completing the work on the terraces in a short time.
According to the premier activities are underway to increase the forest coverage of Addis Ababa to 30 percent with the objective to change the image of the city as many cosmopolitan cities in the world.
Records have shown that the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) has already begun to bear fruits as the forest coverage of the country has increased from 17 percent in 2019 to 23.6 percent by 2023.
Deputy Premier Temesgen Tiruneh also remarked that Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative is shifting its focus this year to prioritize the cultivation and planting of indigenous trees. He said the goal is to maximize the direct benefits of citizens from the initiative launched five years ago. The deputy premier also said he was satisfied with the significant increase in Ethiopia’s forest cover since the program’s inception. He said that the government’s plan to plant 7.5 billion tree seedlings this year is already well underway. Temesgen added the program will boost agricultural productivity, enhance tourism and improve soil and water conservation.
He highlighted that the program will create favourable conditions for the successful implementation of the country’s agricultural development initiatives including wheat cultivation. By replacing water intensive eucalyptus trees with indigenous species the government aims to optimize water resources and combat the effects of climate change.
Similarly head of the prime minister’s office and minister of cabinet affairs Alemtsehay Paulos said the GLI has created favourable opportunities for Ethiopia’s environmental conservation works based on indigenous plants. The minister said the office staff participated in planting indigenous plants for the second time this year. She said the office staff had previously planted fruit tree seedlings in areas prepared with indigenous terracing techniques. She added that Ethiopians without distinction have been participating in the Green Legacy Program and achieving impressive results. She stressed the need to continue with this collective effort with renewed vigour in the coming year as well.
Head of Ethics and Anti-corruption at the Office, Tsige Berhanu said the GLI is not only about environmental conservation but also an integral part of achieving food security and self-sufficiency. The program enables the passing down of a better country to future generations stressing that this is the responsibility of every citizen.
Similarly, minister of planning and development said the GLI has significantly contributed to the increment of the national forest cover. Speaking on a high level panel discussion on the GLI, Fitsum said the initiative has brought about positive impact in terms of forest cover and environmental rehabilitation efforts. She elaborated the benefits of the GLI are multifaceted and transcend to neighboring countries and the world at large. Fitsum further underscored the government’s firm determination and commitment to building a climate resilient economy. Ethiopia has been encouraging African countries to join its tree planting campaign through providing tree seedlings urging the international community to support Ethiopia’s tangible efforts.
Global Green Growth Institute country representative Okechukwu Daniel Ogbonnaya said on his part that the GLI is laudable and a great motivator to climate action and an outcome was shared with other countries. The country representative emphasized the need for other countries to emulate Ethiopia appreciating Ethiopia’s continuous efforts to restore, conserve, enhance forest and create sustainable landscape management overall.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called on all Ethiopians to make history by planting 600 millions tree seedlings in one day on August 23 breaking their own previous record. The prime minister also urged the public to put their legacy across Ethiopia with a unified spirit adding that “when we come together, we can achieve more.”
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 21AUGUST 2024
