Ethiopia Unveils a National Coalition for Expediting Implementation of Great Green Wall Initiative

Addis Ababa, November 8/2023 (ENA): Ethiopia has announced the establishment of a national coalition to expedite the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative, designed to restore degraded lands on the continent.

The Great Green Wall initiative is a large-scale African-led project aimed at combating desertification in the Sahel region, stretching from Senegal to Djibouti.

The African-led initiative targets to restore the continent's 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, sequester 250 million tons of carbon, and create 10 million green jobs by 2030 through planting 8,000 kilometers of forests across the Sahel region. 

Ethiopia, as one of the 11 founding countries of the initiative, is implementing the initiative in 58 districts located in the Amhara, Tigray, and Afar regions. 

A stakeholders meeting was held this afternoon in Addis Ababa to review the performance of the Great Green Wall Initiative. 

On this occasion, Ethiopia announced the formation of a national coalition to expedite the implementation of the initiative.

The coalition that incorporates key stakeholders is tasked with mobilizing resources for the implementation of the initiative in Ethiopia by creating a coordinated work system. 

Federal and regional officials and institutions, as well as international organizations and development partners, are among the members included in the coalition, it was learned. 

Ethiopian Forest Development Deputy Director-General, Motuma Tolera, said on the occasion that Ethiopia has been implementing the initiative with the objective of restoring 13 million hectares of land degraded due to various reasons.    

According to him, the country has been taking various measures, including the Green Legacy Initiative, to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the Great Green Wall initiative is consistent with Ethiopia’s ongoing national efforts in the area. 

Motuma called on international partners to provide the necessary support for Ethiopia’s efforts in implementing the initiative. 

African Union Great Green Wall Initiative coordinator, Elvis Pol said the initiative is instrumental in sustainably mitigating the challenges of climate changes in the continent. 

The coordinator added that Ethiopia’s ongoing efforts to restore degraded lands are exemplary to other countries in Africa. 

He pledged AU’s continued support to Ethiopia in its endeavors to successfully implement the Great Green Wall Initiative.