Ethiopia: AD878 – Ethiopians Commend the Government’s Efforts to Protect the Environment, but Want It to Do More

Most see pollution as a serious problem in their community.

Key findings

Almost two-thirds (64%) of Ethiopians consider pollution a “somewhat serious” or “very serious” problem in their community. Citizens cite deforestation (28%), pollution of water sources (24%), and sanitation (24%) as the most important environmental issues in their community Two-thirds (66%) identify plastic bags as a major source of pollution in Ethiopia. About half (49%) of Ethiopians believe ordinary citizens have the primary responsibility for reducing pollution and keeping their communities clean. Others assign this task to the local government (29%) or national government (16%). While seven in 10 citizens (69%) say the government is doing a good job of protecting the environment, more than half (54%) want it to do more. A majority (56%) of Ethiopians think the government should prioritise environmental protection over creating jobs and increasing incomes, while 41% would assign greater importance to economic considerations.  Ethiopians hold mixed views on the benefits and costs of natural resource extraction to local communities. o But most citizens (78%) want the government to regulate the industry more tightly in order to reduce its negative impact on the environment.

As Africa’s second-most-populous nation and one of its fastest-growing economies, Ethiopia faces mounting pressures to manage its resources. Poor environmental practices, deforestation, and pollution – amid the effects of climate change – threaten to impede its progress (Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission, 2018; Xie, Tiruneh, Woldemeskel, Lewis, Schlumpberger, Croitoru, & Guttikunda, 2022).

Agricultural land is Ethiopia’s most promising resource, employing 70% of its workforce and contributing 6% growth to its 2023/2024 gross domestic product growth rate (World Bank, 2024). However, the expansion of farmlands is also the country’s leading driver of deforestation (Federal Republic of Ethiopia, 2016), alongside the over-extraction of forest resources and the resettlement of people from densely populated, drought-prone, and degraded areas (Asfaw & Etefa, 2017; Yadeta, Deribew, Getahun, Debesa, Abreha, & Hailu, 2022).

Ethiopia’s 2018 National Forest Law and 2019 Green Legacy Initiative mark important steps toward nurturing a culture of environmental restoration and fostering community involvement (Evans, 2018; Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 2022).

In an effort to address its waste-management challenges, Ethiopia pioneered a waste-to-energy plant in 2018 (Kiprop, 2018; United Nations Environmental Programme, 2017). However, solid waste management and pollution remain persistent issues across the country, particularly since Ethiopia continues to rank among Africa’s leading importers of processed plastics (Massa & Archodoulaki, 2024).

This dispatch reports on a special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2023) questionnaire to explore Africans’ attitudes and perceptions of pollution, environmental governance, and natural resource extraction.

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Findings show that a majority of Ethiopians consider pollution a serious problem in their community, with deforestation, pollution of water resources, and sanitation topping the list of respondents’ most pressing local environmental issues. Plastic bags are widely seen as a major source of pollution in the country.

Citizens are most likely to look to one another to reduce pollution and keep their communities clean. Respondents broadly approve of the government’s performance on protecting the environment, but more than half say greater efforts are needed, including tighter regulation of natural resource extraction. Moreover, a majority of Ethiopians think the government should prioritise environmental protection over creating jobs and other economic considerations.

Anne Okello Anne is the assistant project manager for East Africa

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