The exercise formed part of the bank's activities to mark World Environment Day and support the national Tree for Life initiative aimed at restoring degraded landscapes and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Speaking at the forest reserve, Head of Corporate Communications at Ecobank Ghana, Dr. Daniel Kasser Tee, said that the bank's commitment to environmental sustainability dates back more than a decade.

According to him, Ecobank's tree-planting journey began in 2012 when the bank planted more than 1,200 trees at Prampram Senior High School as part of World Environment Day activities.

He noted that the initiative continued in subsequent years until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted activities.

Following the launch of the national Tree for Life initiative, Ecobank resumed and expanded its environmental interventions.

Dr. Kasser Tee explained that in 2025, the bank partnered with institutions across five regions, undertaking tree-planting exercises in 27 schools, churches and hospitals.

He said that Ecobank recently returned to Prampram Senior High School, 14 years after its first intervention, where it planted an additional 1,400 trees after observing that many of the original trees had survived and matured.

"This year we are here at the Chipa Forest to do two things. We are adopting another two-hectare piece of land to plant approximately 2,000 trees and also revisiting the site where we planted about 1,800 trees last year to assess their progress," he said.

He added that Ecobank would work closely with the Forestry Commission to replace trees that did not survive and ensure the long-term success of the restoration project.

According to Dr. Kasser Tee, sustainability is embedded in the bank's operations and extends beyond tree planting activities.

He explained that Ecobank's digital transformation agenda, including efforts to reduce paper usage and promote digital banking services, formed part of broader measures to minimise environmental impact.

"Paper comes from trees and reducing our reliance on paper is one of the ways we contribute to protecting the environment," he noted.

District Manager for the Tema/Ada Forest District of the Forestry Commission, Linda Ansah, said that the Chipa Forest Reserve had suffered degradation over the years due to illegal harvesting of firewood and other human activities.

She explained that restoring the reserve formed part of wider national efforts under the Tree for Life initiative.

Ms. Ansah noted that the Forestry Commission was working to restore approximately 24 hectares of degraded forest land within the reserve, with Ecobank's latest intervention covering two hectares and supporting the planting of about 2,000 tree seedlings.

She commended the bank for returning to the site for a second consecutive year and encouraged more corporate institutions and individuals to support reforestation efforts.

"The government cannot do it alone. Our doors are always open for collaboration. We invite corporate bodies and individuals to come on board and help restore degraded forest reserves and mitigate climate change," she added.

Ms. Ansah also stressed that tree planting did not end once seedlings were placed in the ground.

She explained that Forestry Commission teams continuously monitored planted areas through activities such as watering, weeding, replacement planting and the creation of fire belts to protect young trees during the dry season.

During the exercise, Forestry Commission officials demonstrated the proper planting technique  to participants, including carefully removing seedlings from their polythene containers, positioning them in prepared planting holes and firmly securing the soil around them to support healthy growth.

The exercise featured the planting of species including cassia, known for its distinctive yellow flowers, and acacia trees.

Ecobank officials and Forestry Commission staff later inspected sections of the reserve planted last year to assess survival rates and identify areas requiring replacement planting, a forestry practice known as "beating up."

Dr. Kasser Tee noted that the bank would continue monitoring previously planted sites and supporting institutions to ensure trees planted under the initiative survive and contribute meaningfully to environmental restoration.

He said sustainability remained a shared responsibility and called for collective action to protect the environment for future generations.

Madam Linda Ansah (center), District Manager of the Tema/Ada Forest District speaking to Staff of Ecobank and the media