Andinet Enyew
Speaking as millions join a single-day national campaign, Temesgen Tiruneh calls the reforestation effort a crucial step for food security, ecosystem restoration, and regional climate resilience.
Addis Ababa, (AMECO) — Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh has called Ethiopia’s nationwide drive to plant 800 million tree seedlings in a single day “an investment in tomorrow’s hope”, as millions of citizens gathered across the country to support the national climate campaign.
Speaking as communities mobilised across rural valleys, mountain ridges, and urban centers, the deputy prime minster urged Ethiopians to unite in environmental stewardship under the national Green Legacy Initiative. He highlighted the campaign’s role in advancing food security, restoring degraded ecosystems, and boosting sustainable forest development, adding that its environmental benefits increasingly extend across the wider Horn of Africa.
“Citizens have once again gathered across mountains, plains, valleys, cities, and rural communities to write a remarkable chapter in the nation’s history through environmental stewardship,” Temesgen Tiruneh said, describing the initiative as a collective commitment to future generations.
Focus on Post-Planting Care
Joining planting activities in Addis Ababa’s Kolfe Keranio sub-city, Prosperity Party Vice-President Adem Farah commended the public’s widespread participation while stressing that long-term care remains vital to the campaign’s success.
Adem Farah urged citizens and local institutions to strengthen site management and sapling protection, noting that improving survival rates is essential to fully achieving the initiative’s ecological and economic goals.
In Bole sub-city, State Minister of Agriculture Addisu Arega led ministry officials and employees in planting seedlings around the capital’s ICT Park, reinforcing efforts to integrate green canopy cover into urban and industrial zones.
National Climate Targets
Launched in 2019 under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Green Legacy Initiative is running this year under the theme “Let’s Plant Hope”.
Having planted more than 48 billion seedlings in previous phases, Ethiopia aims to plant a total of 8 billion seedlings during the 2026 rainy season, anchored by the single-day 800-million target.
