DTB marks one million trees as it expands climate action programme

Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) has reached a major milestone in its environmental programme after planting its one millionth tree under its flagship initiative, ‘Much More Than Trees’.

The event took place at AMREF International University in Northlands, Ruiru, and was attended by officials from the Kenya Forest Service, including Dr Clement Ng’oriareng, Principal Senior Deputy Director for Forest Conservation and Management.

The initiative, launched in 2023, is part of DTB’s commitment to achieving net-zero operations by 2030. The bank says the programme is designed around long-term tree-growing rather than one-off planting.

DTB Group CEO, Nasim Devji, said the bank has integrated sustainability into its core operations.

“At DTB, Sustainability Excellence is one of the key pillars of our business growth strategy and is entrenched in how we do business and get involved in efforts to grow the economy,” she said.

She added that tree-growing requires consistent monitoring.

“Tree-growing is key to sustainability, and we are keen on growing rather than just planting trees because the work does not stop when we put seedlings in the ground.”

All trees planted since the start of the programme are being monitored to ensure survival and continued growth.

DTB has worked with schools, tertiary institutions, farmers, and community groups in its tree-growing efforts.

This includes planting fruit tree micro-forests in schools to support nutrition and environmental learning, and partnering with KTDA farmers to plant avocado trees that offer additional income streams.

Explaining the name of the initiative, Ms Devji said it reflects the broader goals of the programme.

“We named the tree-growing initiative ‘Much More Than Trees’ to capture the purpose and impact that we are keen to achieve because the work goes to deliver environmental value, support livelihoods and communities, and the impact that increased forest cover has on slowing down climate change,” she said.

She noted that the milestone represents more than just a number. “These one million trees represent carbon reduction, community empowerment, biodiversity restoration, and hope. And we are only getting started.”

The bank’s target is to plant and grow 10 million trees by 2030. DTB says this goal supports Kenya’s National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign, which aims to address climate change and biodiversity loss by increasing forest cover across the country.

DTB said it will continue to expand the programme by partnering with more institutions and communities.

According to the bank, these partnerships help leverage expertise and ensure that tree-growing efforts deliver measurable environmental and social benefits.