Ethio Telecom plants 250,000 trees as its sustainability strategy gathers pace
Ethio telecom has deepened its environmental sustainability drive by planting 250,000 tree seedlings across Ethiopia while expanding renewable energy-powered telecommunications infrastructure and electric vehicle (EV) charging services, strengthening the company’s strategy to combine digital transformation with climate action.
The nationwide tree-planting exercise, held under Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative and Ethio telecom’s “For a Green Ethiopia” campaign, marks the eighth edition of the operator’s annual environmental programme. More than 3,500 employees, business partners and community stakeholders participated simultaneously at the company’s headquarters in Addis Ababa and 18 regional offices.
The campaign is part of Ethio telecom’s three-year “Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 Strategy,” which focuses on cleaner energy, sustainable infrastructure and inclusive economic growth alongside the expansion of digital services.
The company has rolled out 190 fully solar-powered telecommunications sites, 867 hybrid solar-and-battery systems and 1,114 lithium-ion battery storage units across its network. These upgrades have cut diesel generator usage by up to 40%, reducing both operating costs and carbon emissions.
In the past financial year alone, Ethio telecom added 215 new solar-powered sites and upgraded 774 existing base stations, increasing its installed renewable energy capacity to 39.72 megawatts.
The operator is also strengthening Ethiopia’s growing electric mobility ecosystem. Since introducing its EV charging service in February 2025, Ethio telecom has also launched nine ultra-fast charging stations capable of serving 108 vehicles simultaneously.
Between February 2025 and July 2026, the network recorded more than 481,000 charging sessions, delivering approximately 11.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The company estimates the initiative has prevented around 15.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.
Environmental restoration remains another major pillar of the company’s sustainability agenda. Over the past seven years, Ethio telecom has planted more than 4.6 million tree seedlings across 889 sites nationwide, maintaining an average survival rate of 82.7%. The programme has also created over 24,800 temporary jobs, with this year’s campaign expected to generate another 2,000 employment opportunities.
With cumulative environmental investments now exceeding USD1 million, including about USD265,000 allocated for this year’s Green Legacy campaign, Ethio telecom said its integrated sustainability strategy is helping reduce emissions, strengthen network resilience and support Ethiopia’s broader economic and climate objectives as digital connectivity continues to expand across Africa.
Follow us on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to editorial@techtrendsmedia.co.ke
