The Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe, has advocated for inclusive and sustainable environmental strategies, noting that meaningful climate action must integrate community participation and economic empowerment to deliver multi-generational impact.
- +Sterling One urges inclusive climate action
Speaking at the official commissioning of the One Million Trees Planting Initiative in Kaduna, Ibekwe emphasised that the initiative is more than a tree-planting campaign but a deliberate commitment to restoring the environment and investing in the future of local communities.
Speaking at the official commissioning of the One Million Trees Planting Initiative in Kaduna, Ibekwe emphasised that the initiative is more than a tree-planting campaign but a deliberate commitment to restoring the environment and investing in the future of local communities.
“Climate action must be both inclusive and sustainable,” Ibekwe stated, adding that by combining ecosystem restoration with economic opportunities, particularly for women who will play a central role in planting and long-term maintenance, the partners are building a resilient, scalable model for the country.
The landmark project, according to Sterling One Foundation’s statement on Sunday, launched in commemoration of World Environment Day, is a collaborative partnership involving the Sterling One Foundation, Africa Finance Corporation, the Nigerian Defence Academy, Sterling Bank, and Fifth Chukker Resort. It represents one of the largest consolidated reforestation and landscape restoration efforts in the country, designed to plant one million trees over the coming years to combat rapid deforestation, biodiversity loss, and severe land degradation across Nigeria.
The project significantly scales up the foundation’s previous interventions, building on the 2023 launch of the Sterling Agroforestry for Climate Action Project, which was deployed across 24 Unity Colleges in partnership with the Unity Schools Old Students Association and Green Sahara Farms.
The structural redesign of this initiative is happening at a critical time for the nation. Nigeria loses hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest cover annually, an ecological deficit that directly accelerates climate vulnerability and disrupts agrarian livelihoods.
Also speaking at the launch, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation, Samaila Zubairu, noted that building climate resilience demands bold action and strong multi-stakeholder partnerships.
According to Zubairu, the initiative clearly demonstrates how collaborative frameworks can deliver measurable environmental and social outcomes, reinforcing the AFC’s commitment to advancing carbon capture, ecosystem restoration, and community development across Africa.
On his part, the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Major General Oluyemi Olatoye, linked environmental protection directly to national stability. He maintained that environmental degradation continuously threatens local livelihoods and long-term community security, stating that “protecting our environment is an investment in national security and sustainable development”.
The One Million Trees Planting Initiative directly aligns with Nigeria’s national environmental priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically targeting Climate Action (SDG 13), Life on Land (SDG 15), Gender Equality (SDG 5), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).
Sterling One Foundation remains a registered non-profit organisation focused on tackling the root causes of poverty in Nigeria and Africa through data-driven social impact interventions across health, education, gender equality, and climate action.
