The staff of the Order of Malta Embassy in Addis Ababa, representing both the Ethiopian and African Union mission and led by the Deputy Head of Mission Mr. Merha Agonafer participated in planting 1,000 trees in support of a historic record breaking in tree planting in Addis Ababa. Millions nationwide have turned out this morning to plant 600 million seedlings today.

Over the past five years, Ethiopia has achieved remarkable milestones in mass tree planting, achieving two set records of its own.  This year’s Green Legacy initiative dubbed as “A Country that Plants; A Generation that Sustains!” is underway to plant 7.5 billion of seedlings. People from all walks of life including diplomatic corps and foreign citizens in Ethiopia are participating in this ambitious goal of planting 600 million seedlings

Launched in 2019 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Green Legacy Initiative has made a significant impact, inspiring many Ethiopians with its tree-planting achievements.

Recall that Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa is facing drought and environmental degradation, worsened by climate change which will push million people into severe food insecurity. To this effect, the Green Legacy Initiative launched in 2019 has made significant boosting to: forest cover, agroforestry, eco-tourism, greening urban areas, restoring degraded lands, soil moisture thereby ensuring food security. Sources indicate that Ethiopia has planted 32.5 billion tree seedlings over the past five years. During this rainy season, an additional 7.5 billion seedlings are expected, bringing the total to 40 billion. Currently, 56 percent of these seedlings are fruit and multipurpose plants.