NCBA Bank partners with NFA to plant 20,000 trees
Mark Muyobo (M), the NCBA Bank Chief Executive Officer, and Tom Okello Obong (R), the Executive Director of the National Forestry Authority, sign the partnership documents as Issa Katwesige, an Assistant Commissioner at the Ministry of Water and Environment, looks on.
Corporate banker, NCBA Bank Uganda, has entered a partnership with the National Forestry Authority (NFA) for an ambitious initiative to re-plant 20,000 trees in the Jubiya Forest Reserve in Masaka District, as part of efforts to replace the dwindling forest cover across the country.
The trees to be planted on the 30 hectares will be planted as part of the bank’s sustainability initiative, and the government’s National Development Plan (NDP) III, which speaks to the restoration of 24% the country’s forest cover by 2040.
According to the NCBA Chief Executive Officer, Mark Anthony Muyobo, the bank is cognizant of the alarming rate of deforestation in Uganda, and has thus determined through its ‘Change the Story’ initiative to champion tree-planting drives countrywide.
- Muyobo said the partnership with NFA and the Ministry of Water & Environment through its Running Out Of Trees (ROOTS) Campaign is not a mere gesture, but part of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate climate change and empower communities, where the bank intends to plant ten million trees by 2030.
He said this would also help Ugandans to tap into the tangible benefits of carbon appropriation, and at the same time address the root causes of environmental degradation.
“The partnership with NFA and the MW&E aligns with NCBA's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) pillars, particularly in reducing direct emissions and amplifying tree planting programs,” he said, during the signing of the MoU, at the bank’s head office in Kampala.
- It should be noted that since 1900, Uganda has lost about 41.6% of its forest cover, due to human- economic activities, such as agriculture, wood fuel and animal grazing among others.It is also important to note that about 88% of Ugandans still use wood fuel for cooking, which exerts a lot of pressure on forests, which are the raw materials for the wood fuel/ charcoal, used by many of our people for cooking.
And although more than 70% of Uganda’s 4.9 million hectares of forest cover is mainly woodland grown on private land, it is experiencing high rates of clearance for agriculture and charcoal production.
“This trend is completely unsustainable, especially in the age of global warming, and erratic weather patterns such as flush floods and droughts. As a bank, we are therefore, committed to sustainability and responsible corporate citizenship, through our “Change the Story” initiative where we aspire to see a more sustainable and equitable future,” Muyobo said.
Tom Okello Obong, the Executive Director of the National Forestry Authority, emphasized the urgency of such partnerships, citing the importance of such collaborations in meeting both national and global obligations regarding emissions reductions and landscape restoration.
While commending NCBA Bank for the partnership, Obong noted that Uganda aims to plant 40 million trees annually, requiring every able-bodied citizen to plant a tree each year.
- "As a country, we have set targets to increase our forest cover significantly by 2040. However, rampant deforestation, particularly on private land, poses a significant challenge. Partnerships like the one with NCBA are essential in addressing this pressing issue," Obong noted.
- Issa Katwesige, Assistant Commissioner Planning and the ROOTs Coordinator at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said their focus is on planting indigenous trees in areas where people live, along roadsides, and in schools.
“This partnership with NCBA Bank will enable us to expand our restoration efforts and protect our biodiversity," stated Katwesige. "We welcome NCBA to this space because I know that they have been doing a lot, and now we can do more."
Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of corporate partnerships in advancing environmental conservation, adding that the Ministry of Water and Environment boasts a range of initiatives, including nurseries, aimed at promoting tree planting and habitat restoration.