Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative has garnered praise from international and African leaders for its environmental ambition and focus on restoring native ecosystems.

Speaking at a tree-planting event held today at the International Livestock Research Institute in Addis Ababa, Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director General of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, emphasized the importance of not only planting trees in large numbers but also prioritizing indigenous species to restore native biodiversity.

Wanjiru Kamau-Rotenberg, Africa Regional Managing Director of the Alliance, joined Restrepo and other officials at the event.

And Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to Nigeria’s President, commended Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative as a leading example of climate action in Africa, calling it a model worthy of replication across the continent.