Story by Memory Chamisa
ZIMBABWE’s reforestation efforts are receiving renewed momentum through strengthened diplomatic cooperation with African nations, as the country steps up preparations for National Tree Planting Day on 6 December.
African ambassadors from Algeria, Ethiopia and Rwanda on Monday paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, to discuss the Diplomatic Green Legacy Initiative, a coordinated tree-planting and ecosystem restoration programme led by the African diplomatic community in Zimbabwe.
Dean of African Ambassadors, Ambassador James Musoni, said the initiative draws its inspiration from the African Union’s Great Green Wall Initiative, a flagship Agenda 2063 programme aimed at combating deforestation and land degradation across the continent.
”We are coming together, as African Ambassadors inspired by the African Union’s tree planting programme, which is known as the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), a flagship programme of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Deforestation in Africa is a pressing issue, with the continent losing significant portions of its forest cover due to various factors, such as agriculture, which accounts for approximately 75 percent of deforestation in Africa, making it the largest direct cause of forest loss.
“The Diplomatic Green Legacy Initiative is set to see each country being represented here in Zimbabwe, planting over 1 000 trees per year in collaboration with Zimbabwean authorities and local communities. Deforestation and land degradation are issues of concern for most African countries, and we need to stand together to reverse the rate of deforestation and restore our degraded lands,” Dean of African Ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe, Ambassador James Musoni said.
Minister Ndlovu highlighted the concept of a green legacy that is being adopted diplomatically to strengthen partnerships for environmental action across the continent.
“We are looking forward to having a well-established Diplomatic Green Legacy Day in Zimbabwe, observed annually with actions that will significantly contribute to Zimbabwe’s afforestation and climate resilience efforts. This initiative represents a collaborative endeavour, bringing together the African diplomatic community with local stakeholders, environmental organisations, and communities. Together, we recognise that tree planting is not merely an act of planting a seed in the ground, but a vital engagement in the restoration of our ecosystems, the enhancement of biodiversity, and the elevation of our cultural and natural heritage.”
The Diplomatic Green Legacy Tree Planting Initiative is a collective environmental sustainability effort led by the African Group of Ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe with the aim to foster a culture of environmental protection among Zimbabwean communities through annual tree-planting campaigns.
The programme, which was launched in May 2025, is set to be a permanent annual event, with embassies participating each year as part of their corporate social responsibility and diplomatic commitment to environmental sustainability and in solidarity with Zimbabwe’s current greening and regreening efforts.
The government has since set out an annual target of 25 million trees in the afforestation drive meant to be a bulwark against the climate crisis.
This initiative is also done to cover forest loss estimated at 300 000 hectares each year, according to the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe.
