Absa Bank Uganda has joined the becoming popular tree planting campaign in Hoima City dubbed “Green Hoima.” In collaboration with Hoima city authorities and the national mandated forestry and environmental agencies, the financial institution has launched a campaign to plant 50,000 trees at different institutions of learning.
Speaking at the launch at Hoima city headquarters, Absa Bank Uganda’s Marketing and Customer Experience Director, Mr Hellen Basuuta Nangonzi, said the campaign will focus on indigenous tree species. She revealed that the move is intended to beautify Hoima city and contribute to the global campaign to mitigate climate change effects.
“Free trees and medicinal species will be given priority, she said. Ms Nangonzi added that by working with their partner Hostalite the trees will be planted at 33 primary schools, four tertiary institutions and seven secondary schools already identified. “Today’s event is a step towards mitigating these challenges. By planting trees, we are enhancing the natural beauty of this region, providing shade and creating a legacy to be cherished by the future generations,” she expounded.
The director said according to the Global Forest Watch, in 2010 Uganda had 6.93 million hectares (Mha) of tree cover, extending over 29% of its land area. In 2022, the country lost 641, 000 hectares (Kha) of tree cover which is equivalent to 33.3 Metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Hoima has been experiencing rapid population growth and this has an impact on the existing forest cover. In the 2002 population census, Hoima had 343,600 people and in 2012, after the discovery of oil, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics indicated that the population had increased to 548,800.
The Hoima City Mayor, Mr Brian Kaboyo, welcomed Absa Bank Uganda for joining efforts to mitigate climate change given fears of increased carbon emissions in the atmosphere to be accelerated by the oil sector related industrialisation in the Albertine region.
He highlighted the need for more trees to be planted in the city and the entire region to match with the rate of urbanisation and deforestation. According to Mr Kaboyo, ‘Green Hoima’ campaign aims to plant a million trees in the city. Isa Katwesige, the Assistant Commissioner Forestry in Charge of Planning and Development at the Ministry of Water and Environment, called upon everyone to participate in the campaign to promote environmental conservation. He revealed that his ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Public Service to recruit urban foresters in different cities to facilitate appropriate tree planting.