Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed that a record breaking 615.7 million tree seedlings have been planted on 318.4 hectares of geospatially mapped sites in a single day throughout Ethiopia.

In his remarks published on his social media pages, PM Abiy stated that a total of 29.1 million citizens have participated in a one-day tree planting campaign which initially aimed to plant 600 million saplings.

“All Ethiopians set out to plant 600 million saplings from sunrise to sunset today. Refusing to let the sun set without achieving our goal, we surpassed it, planting an astounding 615.7 million saplings by the end of the day.”

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – The FDRE Government Communication Service (GCS) has announced that 402 million tree seedlings have been planted on 161,000 hectares of land across Ethiopia so far today.

State Minister for Government Communication, Ms. Selamawit Kassa, discussed the progress of the one-day Green Legacy tree seedlings planting national campaign, which is taking place in all regional states and the two city administrations since 12:00 local time in the morning (6:00 am).

Today’s nationwide campaign aims to plant 600 million tree seedlings within a 12-hour timeframe, under the theme “The nation plants, the generation sustains.”

As of 2:00 pm (8:00 o’clock local time) today, a total of 402 million tree seedlings have been planted across Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) along with high ranking government officials has participated in the one-day planting event he described as “a historic day”

“On this historic day, we have gathered in the city of Assosa for the one-day planting event, in a region known for its natural abundance, mineral wealth, and fertile lands,” he pointed out.

With the conclusion of today’s event, Ethiopia will have planted around 40 billion seedlings since the launch of the Green Legacy program in 2019, the Prime Minister noted.

“Of the seedlings planted in the past year, 50% have been focused on food security, soil conservation, and combating land degradation. As we move forward, we must continue planting in areas like the Abay River Basin to support water conservation,” the Prime Minister added.

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, emphasized the critical role of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative during the monumental event of planting 600 million seedlings in a single day. He highlighted how this initiative is essential for both environmental protection and the restoration of natural resources.

Ambassador Massinga pointed out the significance of the tree planting campaign as a key component of the Green Legacy Initiative, which empowers Ethiopian farmers and agricultural producers to safeguard their land against degradation while enhancing their productivity.

He noted that, through this initiative, farmers—including coffee growers, pastoralists, and lowland agricultural producers—are able to improve their yields and increase their income from natural resources.

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – The FDRE Communication Service disclosed that some 234 tree seedlings have been planted so far today throughout Ethiopia under the one-day national planting day campaign.

National Planting Day” campaign is being undertaken nationwide under the overarching theme “A Nation Plants, the Generation Sustains” and aims to plant 0ver 600 million tree seedlings throughout Ethiopia.

Highlighting the progress of the one-day national tree planting campaign from the Situation Romm, Minister of State for Government Communication Service, Selamawit Kassa, stated that a total of 11 million citizens actively participated in the nationwide effort, resulting in the successful planting of 234 million tree seedlings across 93,000 hectares of land until 5:30 local time (11:30 am).

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – Rose Marie Arvid Larsen, the Counsellor for Climate and Trade Affairs at the Danish Embassy in Addis Ababa, expressed her enthusiasm about participating in Ethiopia’s one-day tree planting event today. ““It was really a great morning,”,” she remarked.

The Danish Embassy staff joined the tree-planting initiative to reinforce their commitment to Ethiopia’s climate objectives and to support the government’s Green Legacy Initiative. “We aim to be dedicated partners in promoting climate activities and helping implement Ethiopia’s climate goals,” the Counsellor said during an exclusive interview with FBC.

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – In an exclusive interview with FBC, Alexander Evstigneev, the Director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Addis Ababa (Pushkin House), expressed his support for Ethiopia’s commitment to environmental sustainability during a recent overnight tree planting session.

Evstigneev remarked, “It is a great opportunity for me to participate in this historic national moment,” highlighting the importance of community and governmental dedication to creating a greener and more prosperous Ethiopia. He noted, “I have now planted dozens of trees and I will contribute my part in ensuring their survival,” emphasizing his commitment to the initiative.

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – Mayor Adanech Abiebie of Addis Ababa revealed that a large turnout of residents from various backgrounds has actively participated in a national tree planting initiative spanning multiple areas of the capital.

The mayor along with several government officials has taken part in the tree planting session in the capital.

The mayor indicated that residents are planting versatile seedlings across 168 locations, covering a total of 250 hectares of land.

She highlighted the success of the Green Legacy Initiative, which has been in progress for the past five years, resulting in a notable increase in forest coverage in the city from 2.8% in 2019 to 20% in 2023.

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2024 (FBC) – People across Ethiopia are enthusiastically converging at planting sites in their local communities as the country embarks on its monumental initiative to plant 600 million trees each day. This effort is part of the annual Green Legacy Initiative, which adopts the powerful slogan, “A Country that Plants; A Generation that Sustains!”

This rainy season, Ethiopia aims to plant a staggering 7.5 billion seedlings across 2 million hectares of land. As reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, approximately 6.8 billion seedlings have already been planted.