Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed kicked off over the weekend what is meant to become a mission to plant four billion trees across the country.
The initiative, which is organized under the banner of the National Green Development program, is set to start during the rainy season.
“Over the past years Ethiopia’s forest coverage has decreased, and the initiative is set to mobilize national reforestation at 40 trees per head,” the PM’s office said in a social media post.
PM Abiy held discussions with the National Agri Transformation leaders in Adama city, in his home region of Oromia. He tasked participants – which included most high-profile government officials – on their role and responsibilities in modernizing the sector.
Ethiopia has, in recent years, have suffered from the negative impact of climate change, especially in relation to droughts in parts of the country. According to Ethiopia’s environment, forest and climate change Commission, the initiative will help to cover more than a million hectares of land with forest.
