Nation Launches Project that Supports Green Legacy Initiative

Addis Ababa, August 13/2020(ENA) Ethiopia has launched today a five-year nature-based solutions for water resources infrastructure and community resilience project that supports the Green Legacy Initiative. 

The project launched in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) is financed by the government of Sweden, it was learned.

The project that costs 3.6 million USD will create jobs for 1,500 youth and women in fabricating energy saving stores.  

Moreover, it will contribute towards the effort to achieve the national green legacy initiative and mitigate carbon emission in the country, among others.

At the launching ceremony, Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Seleshi Bekele said the project will enhance infrastructure and community resilience, rehabilitation and greening of degraded lands as well as developing human and institutions capacities.

The proposed project will be implemented in the Abay Basin, covering Guder, Muger and Jama, he stated.

Noting that the country has been planting billions of seedling trees through the nationwide green legacy initiative, the minister pointed out that “Ethiopia’s ambitious target requires significant public mobilization, capacity to plan and implementation resources allocation and monitoring the implementation.”     

UN Economic Commission for Africa Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe said the nature-based solutions for water resources management infrastructure and community resilience is important for because it creates jobs.

She said, “I think the government of Ethiopia has invested in nature-based solutions as its own way of tackling climate change through the green legacy program. The green legacy program for us is not just a program of planting trees, it is also a program for jobs.”

Today the continent losses about 3 to 5 percent of its GDP because of climate change, Songwe revealed.

According to her, every big initiative starts with a small step, and “we need to do something as a continent. But again, we have to start with a small step in this country.”

Ethiopia has successfully planted the planned five billion tree seedlings one month ahead of the end of the rainy season as part of the 2020 Green Legacy Initiative.