Ethiopia Doing Well in Planting Trees, Minimizing Desertification: AU Commissioner Sacko

Addis Ababa (ENA) February 16/2023 Ethiopia is doing well in environmental protection and minimizing desertification through its Green Legacy of planting billions of trees, AU Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner Ambassador Josefa Leonel Sacko said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Commissioner Sacko commended Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

“I commend the government of Ethiopia that is doing so well in planting trees because it is very important. By planting trees we can minimize the desertification and we can also stimulate the rain and mitigate the effect of drought on the continent,” she applauded.

Rooted in a vision of building a green and climate-resilient Ethiopia, the Green Legacy Initiative was launched in June 2019. A target of planting 20 billion seedlings within a period of four years was set.

By the fourth year, Ethiopia has succeeded in planting 25 billion seedlings by mobilizing more than 20 million citizens throughout the nation.

The Green Legacy Initiative is a demonstration of Ethiopia’s long-term commitment to a multifaceted response to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation that encompasses agroforestry, forest sector development, greening and renewal of urban areas, and integrated water and soil resources management.

AU Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner urged African countries to follow suit and align their programs with African Union Commission as well.

Speaking of Ethiopia’s wheat exporting with regard to food security, the Commissioner said that African countries should notice the essentiality of agriculture to secure food efficiency.

“I commend Ethiopia for cultivating wheat and we know that there is a very good lesson for the countries and should follow the example of Ethiopia that have the ecological advantage to grow wheat in their countries,” Commissioner Sacko noted.

Ethiopia is set to export 1.2 million quintals of wheat bumper harvest during this year, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration announced last week.