Roots initiative plants one million trees 

Roots (Running out of trees), an initiative of the ministry of Water and Environment, planted one million trees at St Francis Xavier Bweya, Kajjansi, Wakiso district and across the country on October 6, 2023.

The chief planter was the minister of Water and Environment Sam Cheptoris who represented President Yoweri Museveni. This was yet another National Tree Planting day, organized by the ministry with private sector partners that included Uganda Breweries Limited, Stanbic Bank Uganda, ABSA Bank, Roofings and TotalEnergies EP Uganda, among others, and civil society partners.

The day’s activities across the country were coordinated by the ministry’s regional offices; Mbale for Eastern Uganda, Kwania for Northern Uganda and Mbarara for Western Uganda, while additional planting will be continued at district level by institutions and individual planters, the cumulative sum of which is expected to surpass a one million trees mark.

Cheptoris said Roots aims to restore Uganda’s tree cover by 200 million trees over a five-year period till 2026, planting 40 million trees each year, symbolizing a tree by every Ugandan.

He highlighted this year’s theme ‘Conserving Uganda’s tree species diversity through the establishment of tree seed banks’ as serving to remind us of our bio-diversity and unique heritage that provides us with food, medicine, building materials, fibre and economic support for our well-being, and to withstand climate change.

“Ministry of Water and Environment pledges to sustain the mobilization of the private sector, the public, civil society and development partners under the Roots umbrella, as a means of collectively tackling the current climate change issues. Geo-tracking of trees is also critical to the Roots initiative,” he said.

Roots emphasises planting of indigenous tree species. Hence species like Khaya species or mahogany, Melicia species/Muvule, Afzelia, Prunus Africana, sheanut tree, Canarium species, Warbugia, fruit trees, among others, were planted on that National Tree Planting day.

Jean Gavalda, director of Business Development and Corporate Affairs at TotalEnergies, reported that when Roots started in 2020, there were only five private sector partners, by 2022 they had grown to over 20 partners and now in 2023, they are over 30 companies, religious and traditional institutions, schools, government agencies, and development partners that have joined the effort.

Speaking on behalf of the private sector partners, Gavalda said: “The issue of the impact of deforestation on climate change shifts us off our very core as human beings and adversely as businesses. The cost to business is already evident with the floods, landslides and prolonged droughts that we have witnessed here.