{"id":1399,"date":"2025-11-13T10:07:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T10:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/?p=1399"},"modified":"2025-11-13T10:07:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T10:07:52","slug":"absa-launches-tree-planting-school-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/?p=1399","title":{"rendered":"ABSA launches tree planting school competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Government has commended ABSA Bank Zambia for launching the tree planting school competition, describing it as a momentous initiative that promotes environmental conservation, youth empowerment and climate action through education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking during the launch in Lusaka, Minister of Education Douglas Syakalima said the initiative reflects a strong partnership between government, the private sector and civil society in advancing sustainable development and environmental stewardship.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a privilege to launch this pioneering competition that combines education, youth empowerment and climate action,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The minister said over 1,000 schools across the country are expected to participate, each planting a minimum of 100 trees.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He added that participating schools will compete for prizes worth K600, 000\u00a0<\/span>including solar solutions, school furniture, sports equipment and educational materials.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

ZANIS reports that Mr Syakalima urged schools to take ownership of the initiative by nurturing their trees and tracking their growth, saying education and environmental stewardship are inseparable in building a climate conscious generation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThrough our education system, we can cultivate citizens who understand the value of biodiversity and responsible living,\u201d Mr Syakalima said.<\/span><\/p>\n

And ABSA Bank Zambia Chief Executive Officer Mizinga Melu said the competition forms part of the bank\u2019s \u201cPlant and grow a million trees\u201d campaign under its citizenship agenda, launched two years ago in partnership with the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInvolving school children, we are ensuring that future generations understand what it means to plant, nurture and care for trees,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

She explained that the competition will run from November to March, coinciding with the rainy season, with the target of planting 100,000 trees in three months.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ABSA Bank CEO added that the initiative promotes afforestation, reforestation and environmental protection and will particularly benefit rural schools through access to solar power and other learning resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) representative Andrew Kalumbi reaffirmed the corporation\u2019s commitment to the partnership, noting that ZAFFICO will provide technical expertise and seedlings to support the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative is about more than trees; it\u2019s about shaping environmentally conscious citizens and building a greener, more sustainable Zambia,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that ZAFFICO currently manages 53,000 hectares of forest plantations and is ready to provide seedlings at subsidised rates, while offering professional support to participating schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The ABSA tree planting school competition aims to foster environmental awareness among learners and strengthen community participation in the fight against climate change.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Government has commended ABSA Bank Zambia for launching the tree planting school competition, describing it as a momentous initiative that promotes environmental conservation, youth empowerment and climate action through education. Speaking during the launch in Lusaka, Minister of Education Douglas Syakalima said the initiative reflects a strong partnership between government, the private sector and civil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1399"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1401,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1399\/revisions\/1401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}