By Peter Halima
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has lauded Ethiopia’s ambitious Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) as a “practical response to climate challenges” and a “visionary blueprint for the future.” Speaking at the official launch of this year’s GLI program, Vice President Shettima joined Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, diplomatic dignitaries, and Ethiopian officials in setting a new target of planting 7.5 billion tree seedlings.
“The promise of the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) is the dream of every nation,” Vice President Shettima declared, emphasizing its significance as a lesson in “vision, in purpose and in audacity.” He strongly advocated for the wider adoption of Ethiopia’s climate-friendly development approach, positioning the GLI as a crucial model for sustainable development across Africa and beyond.
The Nigerian delegation was visibly impressed by the scale and impact of the initiative. “For those of us who have followed this program, the numbers are staggering. But the impact is even more compelling,” Vice President Shettima stated, referencing the initiative’s goal of planting 25 billion seedlings within four years, establishing over 20,000 nurseries, and creating hundreds of thousands of green jobs. He added, “to plant 25 billion seedlings within four years… is to show that the future is something we must plant, nurture and build.”
Vice President Shettima expressed Nigeria’s deep admiration for Ethiopia’s efforts. “Ethiopia deserves all the applause the world has sent it away and more,” he commented. He conveyed the “deep and abiding solidarity of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu and the good people of Nigeria,” assuring Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, “Nigeria stands with you.”
He specifically praised Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s leadership in driving the success of the GLI. “Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stands as a real breed of system, an audacious reformer who didn’t merely inherit the architecture of power, but redrew his blueprint with the ink of courage and conviction,” the Vice President articulated. He further hailed him as “one of the greatest leaders in Africa that we should all look up to as a source of inspiration.”
Concluding his remarks, Vice President Shettima offered a hopeful perspective on the African continent, asserting, “Africa is not only a land of disasters, but also a land of promise.” The endorsement from Nigeria’s second-in-command underscores the growing international recognition of the Green Legacy Initiative as a tangible and impactful strategy for environmental regeneration and sustainable development.
