Egypt to launch presidential initiative of planting 100 million trees nationwide soon

CAIRO – 7 August 2022: Egypt will soon launch a presidential campaign of planting 100 million trees nationwide, announced the cabinet in a statement on Sunday.

The "100 million trees" campaign comes under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi as part of Egypt’s efforts regarding the climate file, coinciding with the 27th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) due to be held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheikh in November, the statement said.

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli said that this initiative will begin with extensive planting on both sides of highways, and we also aim to increase the green areas in urban cities, the statement continued. The Prime Minister directed the ministers who attended the meeting to prepare a plan for the afforestation of new axes and roads, taking into account the need to have an appropriate code for the type of trees that will be planted.

The Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy said, at the meeting, that there are 9,900 sites with a total area of 6600 acres that have been pinpointed nationwide to be suitable for tree forests or gardens.

As for the role of the Ministry of Environment in the initiative, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said that the ministry will plant one million trees annually, through a number of programs, including the presidential initiative “Decent Life.”

She added that the trees would be planted in the most polluted areas, along main roads, in addition to this, new nurseries would be established across all governorates. The Minister continued that more tree planting programs would be carried out in schools, universities, institutes, neighborhoods, local units, youth centers, and others.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Al Sayed Al-Qusseir said that the ministry could cultivate orchards, palms, and tree forests, of which 33 forests are available in various governorates. He added that many trees of forests depend on treated sewage water in Irrigation, calling for the need for a mechanism to ensure the availability of the water needs of the Presidential Initiative for irrigation.

Previously, Egypt had launched another afforestation initiative as part of the “Live Green” initiative, which was launched by Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the World Youth Forum in Sharm el Sheikh on December 12, 2019.

The initiative focuses on the youth’s role in protecting their environment, the minister said in her speech at the Forum, adding that the government targets a 50-percent decrease in the solid particle pollution rate by 2030.