Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative Adds Synergy to Global Env’tal Protection: Nigerian Amb.

Addis Ababa July 30/ 2019 The whopping green legacy national initiative that Ethiopia has carried out, exemplary as sustained environmental protection has become a global issue and focal area for the United Nations as well for the continent of African, Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia said.

Ethiopia has set a new world record on Monday following the planting of 353,633,660 million tree saplings surpassed the preceding world record for most trees planting in a single day.

Up to that time, the World Record was held by India, which used some 1.5 million volunteers to plant more than 66 million trees in 2017.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to AU and UNCEA, Bankole Adeoye, said Ethiopia’s tree planting initiative is very strategic as it associates the ambition of the UN agenda for sustainable development goals of 2030 and with AU Agenda 2063.

“That is positive for not only Ethiopia but also the East African region as well as the continent as a whole. As you are aware protection of the environment in a sustained manner has become a global environmental challenge for the United Nations sustainable development agenda as well as the African Union of 2063,” Adeoye said.

Noting that climate change has become a major challenge for this generation, the ambassador said Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative signifies that the campaign is crucial for the African continent in mitigating climate change induced disasters.

“Although no African country has contributed to it, we are well aware of the fact that Africa is a victim of climate change. We don’t contribute much to climate change but it has been affecting us by ensuing in drought, flood and the extreme temperatures we are witnessing all over the world,” he said.

The government of Ethiopia envisions covering 22 million hectares of degraded lands with trees by 2030 through enhancing the contribution of forestry to agriculture, water development and energy.

Ambassador Adeoye said Nigeria praises the efforts made by Ethiopia as the campaign would reinforce AU’s environmental ambition  under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The Ambassador is also hopeful Ethiopia’s massive tree seedling initiatives is critical for the Paris  Climate Change Agreement, which is an accord within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, signed in 2016.

“Most importantly, it will help the implementation of the Paris Agreement and this is very critical for us as Nigeria, as Africa and as in those our regions like IGAD in the case of Ethiopia and ECOWAS in the case of Nigeria,” he noted.

Commending the leadership of Prime Minster Abiy and the noble initiative for this campaign, the ambassador affirmed that his country is determined to support Ethiopia’s venture.

“I could believe with the planting of many trees, our environment will be a better place to live and environmental sustainability will become more effective. So the government of Nigeria wants to express its appreciation and congratulates his excellence Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed for this initiative and our embassy will continue to participate on the campaign,” he pledged.

The “Green legacy”, which was officially initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on May 26, 2019, is a national 4 billion trees planting project aims to decrease the shock of climate change and endorse afforestation.