Ethiopia has committed to planting 5 billion trees by the end of July. On World Environment Day, on Friday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tweeted that arrangements were being made for how each household would “plant their print in a physically distanced manner”.

The PM said on Facebook that the 5 billion trees were part of the nation’s larger goal of planting 20 billion trees over a four-year period.

Ethiopia launched the country’s Green Legacy challenge last year, in which almost 355 million seedlings were planted in a 12-hour period. Abiy said on Friday, referring to that environmental event, “More than 20 million people were mobilised throughout the country in our first-ever mass planting engagement.” News24 reports that the country’s Agriculture Ministry said that roughly 84 per cent of those plants have grown.

Sufficient seedlings to be planted in this year’s event have been organised by both the government and business.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said the environment has become a key issue in Ethiopia in recent years. It cited, among several other factors, challenges to Ethiopia’s growing population, such as desertification, recurrent drought, deforestation, and water pollution.

Umm Muhammed Umar