Our reporter
Continued cutting down of trees for timber, construction, settlement and farming is to blame for the rising heat and drought being experienced in different parts of the country.
According to WWF’s Vitality of Forests Report, Trees or forests act as buffers for extreme heat. That is why financial institutions such as Equity bank have embarked on a tree planting campaign with a target of planting 35 million trees in East Africa.
While launching the campaign last week at Kyasanku Hill College in Kasanje, Mpigi District, Virginia Ssemakula, Equity Bank Uganda’s Manager for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, said protecting the environment is inseparable from the Bank’s mission of transforming lives.
She explained that the initiative forms part of Equity Bank Uganda’s sustainability agenda under the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), which recognizes environmental conservation as a key driver of climate resilience, food security, biodiversity protection and inclusive economic growth.
Held along the Kampala-Masaka Highway, the exercise saw Kyasanku Hill College dedicate two-acres of land for environmental restoration, with students, teachers, community leaders and partners planting a mix of indigenous and fruit tree species that will provide long-term ecological, educational and economic benefits.
“At Equity Bank, we believe that transforming lives also means protecting the environment, because true prosperity can only exist on a healthy planet,” she said.
Ssemakula noted that sustainability extends beyond present-day achievements and requires responsible stewardship of natural resources for generations to come.
She added that environmental degradation and climate change are already affecting communities across the region.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat. Floods, droughts and environmental disasters remind us every day that protecting nature is everyone’s responsibility. Our natural resources are limited, and the responsibility before us is not simply to use them, but to use them wisely and sustainably.” Ssemakula added.
Recognizing the growing role of the private sector in climate action, Ssemakula emphasized that financial institutions have an important responsibility in supporting sustainable development.
The partnership with My Tree Initiative brings together two organizations committed to restoring Uganda’s declining forest cover while empowering communities, particularly young people, to become champions of environmental conservation.
Founded by Executive Director Enjer Ashiraf, My Tree Initiative works closely with the Ministry of Water and Environment, schools, local communities, development partners and the private sector to drive reforestation and climate awareness programmes across Uganda.
“Tree planting is not simply about restoring forests; it is about restoring hope, protecting livelihoods and securing the future of our communities. Through partnerships such as this one with Equity Bank Uganda, we are creating practical solutions to environmental challenges while empowering young people to take ownership of the climate agenda.”
Speaking at the event, Mawokota North Member of Parliament Amelia Kyambadde appealed to Ugandans to rethink how they value trees, noting that they represent far more than commercial timber.
“Trees are more than timber. They provide food, shelter, biodiversity, clean air and a better future for generations to come,” she said.
Kyambadde challenged the continued destruction of forests for charcoal, saying the practice threatens both livelihoods and the country’s environmental future.
“Let us stop cutting trees for charcoal. Every tree we save today is an investment in Uganda’s tomorrow.”
Reflecting on her own experience, she described trees as a source of healing and personal renewal.
“For the past five years, trees have been my therapy. Today I plant them, tomorrow I sit beneath them to read, reflect and find peace.”
The Mpigi exercise builds on Equity Bank Uganda’s expanding environmental footprint across the country by working with schools, cultural institutions, environmental organizations and local governments to implement some of Uganda’s most significant private-sector-led greening initiatives.
Among them is the Bugisu Greening Campaign, implemented with the Umukuka wa Bugisu and the GRO Foundation, in which more than 60,000 trees are being planted following with a sh60 million investment.
At Busoga College Mwiri, the Bank partnered with the Kenya High Commission and Million Trees International to invest sh85 million in planting over 43,000 indigenous trees and establishing a 10-acre fruit orchard. Additional conservation projects have reached St. Julian High School Gayaza among others
Ends
