Addis Ababa: Residents of Addis Ababa are demonstrating strong enthusiasm to greening the capital through the national Green Legacy initiative.
Despite being on the cusp of its 140th anniversary, Addis Ababa has struggled to match its age with its urban development. Its renewal efforts have been slow and deliberate.
Despite changes in government, Addis Ababa has yet to achieve the status of a beautiful, clean, and international city. For instance, the city’s once-dense forests have been significantly reduced, with tree cover declining to a mere 2.8 percent by 2010.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative is breathing new life into the country’s environment. Once desolate lands and struggling cities are now adorned with vibrant vegetation. Addis Ababa, for example, is emerging as a beautiful new metropolis, where greenery harmonizes with modern architecture.
Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abiebie emphasized the city’s need to significantly increase its green space c
overage to meet international standards. She noted that, despite recent efforts, the city’s current green area remains relatively low.
However, the Green Legacy initiative has made strides in the past five years, successfully expanding green spaces to cover approximately 17 percent. This year’s launch of the program marks a continuation of these efforts.
Mayor Adanech Abiebie emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation to achieve the international urban standard of 30 percent green coverage within the next three years.
Yonas Abate, a resident of Addis Ababa, shared his experiences and contributions to the Green Legacy Initiative over the past five year, citing the announcement of Prime Minister Abiy about the national plans to plant a massive 600 million saplings nationwide on Friday, August 17, as part of an overnight initiative.
‘We have one country,” declared Yonas emphasizing the importance of planting saplings to create a fertile nation. “I eagerly participate in this initiative every year
,” he stated, “as it’s a continuation of our generation’s legacy.”
Yonas explained that cultivating of trees is essential for protecting ourselves from various natural and other forms of threats. He added, “I don’t need anyone’s encouragement to save our country.”
He said that although we always plant saplings, they will be a part of this history by participating in the overnight tree planting campaign with their children on Friday.
According to the message sent by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in this campaign to make the country fertile, he expressed that he is eagerly waiting for the day to plant at least 20 quality saplings.
The Green Legacy Initiative, a cornerstone of Addis Ababa’s Urban Beauty and Green Development Office, “is a unifying force for Ethiopians, akin to the iconic Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam,” said Yimegnushal Tadese, Head of the Office.
“This initiative is a testament to our collective desire to build a brighter future for Ethiopia.” Tadese expressed optimism for the year ahead, not
ing that citizens from all walks of life are actively contributing to this ambitious endeavor.
“This year, we aim to plant 600 million saplings nationwide in a single night,” said Yimegnushal Tadese. ”
Addis Ababa will actively participate in this ambitious effort, planting from dawn to dusk. To ensure the success of this initiative, we have diligently cultivated seedlings, transported them to designated planting sites, and prepared necessary wells.
These trees will be strategically planted in the city’s road dividers, squares, and around institutions to enhance urban beauty, contribute to food security, and mitigate the effects of climate change.”
Mayor Adanech Abiebie also said that ‘we are the ones who make our capital green and comfortable to live in’.
She said that by planting 20 million saplings in Addis Ababa alone this year, we will not only plant for the next generation but also show the results of cooperation.
For this reason, religious institutions, members of the diplomatic community based i
n Addis Ababa, civic associations, rival parties and all the residents of the capital city have called to make their mark in the places prepared by the administration.
Ethiopians have planted 32.5 billion tree seedlings across the country since the Green Legacy Initiative was launched by Prime Minister Abiy in 2019. The overall goal of the initiative is to plant 50 billion seedlings by 2026.
If the implementation of the initiative continues with this pace and citizen’s strong enthusiasm, the forest coverage of the country will reach 30 percent by the year 2030.
Officials claim that the target will be accomplished since Ethiopians have made planting trees and preserving forests a major part of their culture every year.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency