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Business Reporter
ECOBANK Zimbabwe says planting trees is an effective approach to tackling the effects of climate change.

In its message to mark the World Environment Day on Tuesday, the bank re-affirmed its commitment to contributing to efforts to save the planet from environmental degradation and pollution through planting trees.

The bank said it was already rolling out a programme of planting a variety of 25 000 trees across the country under its “planting today, protecting tomorrow” campaign.

The Pan-African finance institution, has participated in various types of woodlots and fruit trees projects such as the Umzururu Primary School project in Zvimba District, Mashonaland West in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, the Forestry Commission and Environmental Management Agency (EMA).

“Ecobank’s tree planting initiative, ‘planting today, protecting tomorrow’, is taking place in each of the 33 countries in which the bank operates. The bank firmly believes that its long-term success is intertwined with the sustainable development of the economies, societies and environment in which it operates,” said the bank in a statement.

Group chief executive, Ade Ayeyemi said the bank’s Pan-African presence gives it many advantages but also imposes a huge responsibility on it in terms of social and environmental obligation.

“We know that we must ‘give back’ to our communities, to society and to the environment and this is a core tenet of our culture,” he said.

Moses Kurenjekwa, managing director of Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited said planting trees was part of their strategy towards preserving the environment for future generations. Globally, it is estimated that between 3,5 billion and seven billion trees are cut down every year.

The bank has since pledged to donate garden implements to local authorities for them to use to nurture and grow the planted seedlings. Ecobank has a presence in 36 African countries.