Ethiopia's ambitious Green Legacy Initiative, now in its seventh year, continues its monumental transformation of the nation's landscape. Yesterday, under the theme "Renewal through Planting," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched this year's nationwide campaign in Jimma city, aiming to plant a staggering 714.7 million seedlings in a single day. This vast undertaking underscores the initiative's remarkable success, mobilizing millions of Ethiopians to achieve significant benefits for the country and beyond.
The Prime Minister announced that Ethiopia has already made substantial strides towards its goal of planting 50 billion seedlings within eight years. In just the past six years, an impressive 40 billion seedlings have been planted, showcasing remarkable progress. This year's target is to plant a total of 8 billion seedlings, bringing the grand total planted to 48 billion.
Prime Minister Abiy expressed confidence that if this year's target is met, Ethiopia will surpass its original plan by planting over 55 billion seedlings next year. "Today marks the 7th year since the Green Legacy program began, and we will plant 714.7million seedlings in one day," he affirmed. He further emphasized that planting 50 billion seedlings is a global record.
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"We were able to achieve this not because we are rich, but because we have citizens with rich hearts," the Prime Minister stated, attributing the success to the active participation of 20 to 30 million citizens. He likened the Green Legacy to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Abay Dam), calling it a significant historical mark for Ethiopia.
Beyond environmental benefits, the Prime Minister highlighted the tangible gains already reaped, particularly in boosting coffee production, with tea production poised to follow suit. He extended his gratitude to all Ethiopians who have contributed to this monumental success, remarking that Ethiopia, once synonymous with poverty, is now actively transforming its image. "No one can do this for us; our history changes through our hard work and toil," he asserted, urging every citizen to contribute to greening the country and ensuring food security. He concluded by calling on all citizens to be part of this "history that will not be repeated" by planting seedlings today.
Adding to the national momentum, members of the diplomatic community and international business representatives gathered in Addis Ababa's Furi area yesterday to actively participate in the Green Legacy Initiative. Their presence underscored the growing international recognition of Ethiopia's commitment to environmental sustainability and climate action, as representatives from various foreign embassies and international companies joined Ethiopians in planting trees, emphasizing a shared global responsibility for a greener future.
Liu Zhaofeng from the Chinese Embassy lauded the strong collaborative ties between China and Ethiopia in environmental endeavors. "We are more than happy to be part of the Green Legacy Initiative," he stated, calling it "a joint effort by the international community to combat climate change and create a better future for our next generations."
Safaricom Ethiopia echoed this sentiment, Wim Vanhelleputte CEO of the company stating, "Plant a tree, it will be there for your children, for your grandchildren. They will appreciate the effort that you've made today, because it's in the interest of humanity that we all make our hands dirty and start planting trees."
The Huajian Grope from Gada Special Economic Zone, a consistent participant since 2017, reaffirmed its long-standing commitment. A Huajian representative drew a parallel with China's own tree-planting day, noting, "Planting trees can contribute to the greenery of the whole country and help to protect the environment," citing the Chinese proverb, "When the ancestors plant the trees, we offsprings can enjoy the shade of the trees."
Other international delegates were visibly impressed by Ethiopia's dynamic transformation, enthusiastically stated, "Ethiopia is really dynamic, in a transformative way, Ethiopia can become a powerhouse." He highlighted the initiative as a tangible sign of the Ethiopian government's dedication to transformation and future planning, expressing his immense satisfaction with the results. "This is the first time that I'm invited to plant a tree, and it comes from the top," he remarked, emphasizing that Ethiopia's actions serve as an inspiration in building resilience against climate change.
The Italian diplomatic community also underscored the deep friendship between Italy and Ethiopia. An Italian representative observed, "It is a very important day with very important action. We're very happy to be able to contribute. Italy and Ethiopia are very close countries; we have been friends since a long time." He also lauded the strong community engagement observed during the event, emphasizing the critical role of reinforcing green initiatives for sustainability.
Further highlighting the initiative's far-reaching impact, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to Nigeria's President, recently commended the Green Legacy, calling it a model worthy of emulation by other African nations in an interview with ENA. He emphasized that the initiative offers immense benefits for both Ethiopia and the entire continent, noting that the Prime Minister's efforts go beyond addressing climate change, also tackling national status and food security.
"Because, as I can see, some of the trees are also economic trees: avocado, mango. So you are like using one stone to kill multiple birds to tackle climate change, to increase oxygen concentration," he stated.
In a recent act of solidarity underlining this African partnership, Nigeria donated 2,000 cashew seedlings and 100,000 cashew seeds to Ethiopia, a contribution expected to cultivate approximately 600 hectares of farmland. This donation, officially received by Ethiopia's Minister of State for Agriculture, Efa Muleta Boru (PhD), precedes the second United Nations Food Systems Summit which held in Addis Ababa this week. This mutual exchange reciprocates Ethiopia's earlier support to Nigeria in June 2025, when it provided 2,000 Hass avocado seedlings and 2,000 coffee seedlings, underscoring a shared commitment to advancing climate-smart agriculture across the African continent.
Moreover, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration announced that the Green Legacy initiative is significantly boosting Ethiopia's export earnings by enhancing production and productivity. Yasmin Wohabrebbi, State Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, stated yesterday during the plant 714.7 million Seedlings in a single day initiative that Green Legacy is playing a key role in increasing Ethiopia's agricultural output and, consequently, its export revenue. She highlighted that in the last fiscal year, Ethiopia earned approximately 8.3 billion USD from exports, underscoring the positive impact of the program on the country's economy.
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The Minister also mentioned that the revenue the country generates from coffee exports has grown as coffee seedlings planted under the Green Legacy program have started yielding produce. She explained that the Green Legacy program has enabled the creation of an environment and climate conducive to productivity, leading to an increase in export earnings.
Furthermore, she stated that fruits planted under the program are not only ensuring food sovereignty but also enhancing export capacity and revenue. The Green Legacy program is also described as a means to combat climate change.
Ethiopia is increasing and will continue to increase its revenue from carbon sales through the Green Legacy initiative, she said. Finally, she added that the initiative contributes to economic growth, boosts tourism flow, and increases revenue from the sector.
Over 30 million people mobilized in Ethiopia yesterday, planting more than 714.7 million seedlings in a single day as part of the Green Legacy Initiative.
