ECOBANK Zimbabwe will donate 25 000 gum trees before year-end to different schools across the country as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, an official has said.

BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA

Speaking on the sidelines of World Environment Day celebrations running under the theme Planting today, Protecting tomorrow last week at Umzururu Primary School in Zvimba district, Ecobank official, Frank Karara said they were taking the project across the country.

“We have secured 25 000 gum trees, which are going to be planted in due season when the environment is appropriate and those are not earmarked for this school alone, but we are taking them across the country,” he said.

“We are not doing this to make a profit, but giving back to the communities, we are who we are because of the communities, because they make up our customers, so this is our opportunity to say thank you.”

In a statement read on his behalf at the event, Ecobank managing director, Moses Kurenjekwa said the green project will contribute to socio-economic development.

“We firmly believe that the long term success of Ecobank is intertwined with the sustainable development of the economies, societies and environment that we operate in,” he said.

Kurenjekwa said this demonstrated their commitment to corporate obligations of combating climate change as well as protecting natural resources.

“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.

“We know that it requires actions, not just words, to fully meet our responsibilities,” he said.

According to research, about 330 hectares of local forests are lost every year nationwide a situation that i could speed up desertification.