Addis Ababa City Mayor Adanech Abiebie has launched today the fifth-round tree plantation program where 17 million seedlings will be planted as part of the Green Legacy.
Addis Ababa City Mayor Adanech Abiebie on the occasion said the intensive plantation will continue and 17 million saplings will be planted in this round.
The mayor recalled that in the first phase of the Green Legacy Initiative, 41 million saplings were planted in the city administration and 25 billion nationwide over the past four consecutive years.
Besides increasing Ethiopia’s forest cover, the mayor noted that multipurpose seedlings have been planted for the beauty of the city and ensure food security.
According to her, tree plantation will be indispensable to respond to sever drought and flooding consequences arising from the impacts of climate change and affect the country and the world.
Therefore, the mayor called on every citizen to actively participate in the second phase of the green legacy intiative as usual.
Agriculture Minister, Girma Amente noted that Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative has taken the economic viability, social responsibility and environmental friedliness into consideration.
Noting that the country’s forest coverage dwindled from 40 to 3 percent at some period in the past, he said that everyone has to give attention to tree plantation and participate in it to further increase the forest cover.
Some 6.5 billion tree seedlings are expected to be planted nationwide in the second phase of the Green Legacy initiative.
It is to be remembered that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the second phase of the Green Legacy plantation program in the Afar region on June 8, 2023.
Similar to the first phase of green legacy initiative, additional 25 billion saplings are expected to be planted nationwide in the second phase of the initiative.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency