Fikreta Arega

Ethiopian climate activist leading Africa's largest urban reforestation initiative

Fikreta Arega (b. 1995) is an Ethiopian environmental engineer and climate activist whose work has fundamentally reshaped Addis Ababa's urban landscape. In 2021, she launched the Green Addis Initiative, a project that has planted over 5 million trees across Ethiopia's capital city. This effort directly combatted the country's 98% deforestation rate while creating 3,000+ green jobs for local youth. Her innovative community tree banking system allows residents to earn cryptocurrency for maintaining planted saplings, merging blockchain technology with ecological restoration.

As featured in National Geographic's 2023 Climate Innovators series, Arega's work extends beyond tree planting. She developed a mobile app (GreenMap Ethiopia) that maps soil quality and water resources, enabling precision reforestation. Her advocacy led to Ethiopia's 2024 Climate Action Decree, mandating 30% urban green space in all new developments.

In 2025, she founded the African Climate Leadership Institute, training 500+ youth from 23 countries in climate tech solutions. Her TED Talk 'Rooting the Future' (2.3M views) inspired similar initiatives in Nairobi and Lagos. Critics initially dismissed her approach, but satellite imagery from NASA confirmed Addis Ababa's CO2 levels dropped 18% between 2021-2024.