The Chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Antony Zziwa, has launched the “Green Day Initiative,” a partnership between Centenary Bank and the Uganda Episcopal Conference aimed at planting more than 500,000 trees across Uganda to promote environmental conservation.
Under the initiative, Centenary Bank plans to plant 100,000 indigenous timber and fruit trees annually for the next five years, reaching a total of 500,000 trees by 2030. The project is expected to restore more than 1,500 acres of degraded land across the country.
Speaking to journalists and partners at Centenary Bank’s headquarters at Mapeera House in Kampala, Bishop Zziwa, who is also the Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese, said environmental conservation should be a shared responsibility among all Ugandans.
He warned that increasing human activities, particularly the destruction of forests and wetlands for settlement, agriculture and other economic activities, pose a serious threat to the country’s environment.
Bishop Zziwa called on government, religious leaders and communities to take deliberate measures to discourage activities that degrade the environment, noting that environmental destruction has long-term consequences for present and future generations.
He urged Ugandans to embrace tree planting and other conservation efforts as part of their responsibility to protect the country’s natural resources.
Meanwhile, Joseph Kiwanuka Balikuddembe, Executive Director of Business at Centenary Bank, said the bank chose to partner with the Uganda Episcopal Conference because the Church owns land across the country that can be utilized for tree planting and environmental restoration.
He said the partnership would help mobilize communities and make use of available Church land to increase forest cover while contributing to the restoration of degraded ecosystems.
The Green Day Initiative is expected to bring together the Church, financial institutions, communities and other stakeholders in a collective effort to promote sustainable environmental conservation across Uganda.
By Charles Katabalwa