Kashim Shettima has announced that the federal government plans to plant 20 billion trees during the next rainy season, as part of a nationwide reforestation and environmental sustainability initiative.
”We intend to plant 20 billion trees in the next rainy season,” Mr Shettima said. “It requires a lot of planning, energy and drive, which Ethiopia was able to galvanise its population into doing.”
Kashim Shettima made the remarks on Saturday after touring several agricultural and industrial facilities in Ethiopia.
As part of efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation in agriculture and industrial development, he visited key establishments including Adama Dairy Farms, Luke Avocado Nursery, Shera Dibandiba Mojo Family Integrated Farm, Biyyo Poultry Farm, and Bishoftu Pea Farm.
A major highlight of the visit was the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, which Mr Shettima hailed as a mutually beneficial programme. He described the initiative as a powerful blend of environmental restoration and job creation.
Drawing inspiration from Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, Shettima praised it as a successful model that fuses climate action with economic growth. He called Ethiopia a shining example of progress and a guiding light for Africa’s renaissance.
“Ethiopia has become the pathfinder, the front runner in us reclaiming our pride and our continent. We are mightily proud of them.
”Ethiopia is a nation of over 100 million people; the success of Ethiopia will reverberate across the length and breadth of East and Southern Africa,” Mr Shettima said.
Kashim Shettima has praised Ethiopia’s remarkable progress in achieving wheat self-sufficiency, describing it as a major milestone in the country’s agricultural development.
He noted that Ethiopia, which previously spent over $1 billion annually on wheat imports, now exports to neighbouring countries such as Djibouti and Kenya.
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“If Nigeria and Ethiopia work, Africa will work,” Shettima stated. “Together, we represent over 350 million people—more than the population of the United States. Both nations must collaborate effectively for the advancement of our continent.”
Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, described the visit as phenomenal and reaffirmed Bola Tinubu’s commitment to adopting Ethiopia’s agricultural transformation strategy in Nigeria.
“Bola Tinubu has a whole lot of respect for the people of Ethiopia. Why we came here is to understudy what we have seen and report back to him.
” I believe that he will replicate this in a much stronger and bolder scope,” Mr Uzoma said.
He added that Nigeria is actively implementing economic diversification strategies aimed at reducing its reliance on oil revenues by boosting agricultural exports. These include high-value crops such as avocados, pineapples, mangoes, cashews, and cocoa.
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