FirstBank Collaborates with NCF to Plant 50,000 Trees Over Three Years, Launches Yearly Week of Benevolence

FirstBank Commences Annual Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week

FirstBank has officially launched its yearly Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week, demonstrating its commitment to environmental sustainability and community welfare. In collaboration with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), the bank, together with its employees and partners, has set an ambitious goal to plant more than 50,000 trees over the next three years, starting from 2023. This initiative is a key part of FirstBank’s larger sustainability and ESG strategy, aligned with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation’s Forest Programme – Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN), aimed at significantly increasing Nigeria’s forest cover to 25% by 2047.

For over seven years, FirstBank has actively participated in the global volunteer initiative known as Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK). This initiative has had a positive impact on over 200,000 lives across eight countries, with support provided to more than 103 charities and a collective volunteer effort of over 121,015 hours.

The activities planned for the 2023 edition, scheduled from October 23rd to 28th, include Tree Planting, Women Empowerment, SPARK Schools Engagement, Orphanage Home visits, engaging with the less privileged, and Kind Comments Day.

As part of its commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal 5, FirstBank will focus on supporting cancer foundations for women and facilitating skills acquisition for women. The bank is also dedicated to empowering women both internally and externally, with collaborations in place to drive skills acquisition through partnerships with the International Women Society.

The Kind Comments Day initiative aims to encourage staff, customers, and stakeholders to promote positive interactions by using kind and uplifting words when engaging with others.

On October 27th, the bank’s staff will engage with students in various schools for the SPARK School Engagement program, aimed at promoting financial literacy and instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in young people to prepare them for the challenges of the future.

The week will culminate with visits to Orphanage Homes and engagements with the less privileged on October 28th, covering orphanages and Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African markets.

Ms. Folake Ani-Mumuney, the Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at FirstBank, emphasized the importance of kindness in building stronger communities and fostering empathy. She encouraged everyone to join in celebrating the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Week and integrate kindness into their daily interactions for a lasting positive impact.

FirstBank has received several awards and accolades for its exceptional contributions to society, including the Most Socially Responsible Bank (2018) from the International Finance Banking Awards and the CSR Bank of the Year (2020) from the Business Day Banking & Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards. The bank has also been recognized as the Market Leader in Nigeria for its CSR efforts by Euromoney Market Leaders in 2022 and has received other prestigious awards such as the Best CSR Bank Nigeria (2021) from Global Banking and Finance magazine and the Excellence in Women Economic Empowerment (2019) from the Central Bank of Nigeria.