Boost Uganda’s Forest Cover: Equity Bank Plants 30,000 Trees

May 7 2025 : Equity Bank Uganda has intensified its climate action efforts with the planting of 30,118 indigenous trees in 2024 as part of its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development.

The reforestation campaign, conducted in partnership with the Kenya High Commission and local institutions like Busoga College Mwiri, is part of a broader drive to restore forest cover across Uganda.

“Our environmental investment is not about headlines—it’s about healing ecosystems and empowering communities,” said Gift Shoko, Managing Director, Equity Bank Uganda.

The tree planting initiative forms part of the regional goal of planting 35 million trees across East Africa under the Equity Group’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework.

Uganda loses an estimated 90,000 hectares of forest annually due to illegal logging, charcoal burning, and agricultural expansion.

This sharp decline in forest cover—down from 24% in 1990 to less than 10% by 2022—has had devastating consequences, including prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall patterns, reduced agricultural productivity, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and increased vulnerability to floods and landslides in highland areas like Bududa and Kasese.

The bank’s contribution aims to reverse this trend by promoting indigenous species that restore biodiversity and protect watersheds.

“Every tree planted today is a shield against tomorrow’s climate shocks,” Shoko emphasised.

In parallel with its environmental work, Equity Bank also advanced Uganda’s education sector through the Equity Leaders Program, which in 2024 supported top-performing students to access world-class universities, including Harvard and Yale.

The first cohort of Ugandan scholars under the program celebrated their graduation last year.

Officials say Equity Bank’s dual investment in reforestation and education supports Uganda’s National Development Plan III and Vision 2040, both of which prioritize environmental protection and human capital development.

By rehabilitating forests and mentoring Uganda’s next generation of leaders, Equity Bank is helping build a climate-resilient, knowledge-based economy that benefits both people and the planet.