ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia has launched a national campaign to plant 700 million trees in one day. The ambitious goal, announced Thursday, is part of a conservation initiative seeking to plant 50 billion trees by 2026. The reforestation campaign has been a personal project of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2019. Authorities say some 40 billion tree seedlings have already been planed since 2019. The target for 2025 alone is 7.5 billion trees. Some critics have dismissed the campaign as a publicity stunt by Abiy.

By Amanuel Gebremedhin Birhane, Associated Press 

Banner image: Participants planting in a park as part of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, which aims to plant 7.5 billion trees by the end of the year, at Jifara Ber site, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanuel Birhane)