The Basketball Africa League (BAL) in collaboration with New Fortress Energy (NFE) and Otchiva, an environmental organization focusing on land restoration throughout Angola, today announced that they will plant 6,000 trees in Angola as part of the BAL’s “Threes for Trees” campaign and BAL Green, the league’s environmental initiative that leverages the collective platform of the BAL, its teams, players and fans to advocate for greater environmental responsibility, make a positive impact on people’s lives, and help develop the next generation of environmentally conscious leaders. 

To commemorate the expansion of Threes for Trees to Angola, earlier today Petro de Luanda players Carlos Morais, Lukeny Gerson, Childe Dundao and Jone Pedro joined head coach Jose Neto and 100 community volunteers for a tree planting ceremony in Luanda. The BAL, NFE and Otchiva will team up to plant the remainder of the trees in Humpata, a town and municipality in the Huila region of Angola.  In Angola, the campaign will help raise awareness of desertification in the southern part of the country, where the Namibia desert is expanding and impacting local communities, including Humpata.  The expanding desert makes the region more likely to experience a long-lasting drought cycle affecting the local population and livestock.  Beyond the human and animal death toll, other consequences of the drought cycle are hunger, food insecurity, forced migration and increased disease outbreaks.

The campaign will contribute to Otchiva’s goal of planting 1 billion trees by 2031 and creating a green wall in Southern Angola.  The BAL will also work with Otchiva to co-create educational materials and engagement opportunities for athletes and community members.

“We are proud of the impact the BAL is making in communities across the continent to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and desertification,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.  “I want to thank New Fortress Energy, Otchiva and Petro de Luanda for supporting our Threes for Trees campaign in Angola and helping grow awareness of this critical issue facing all of us.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to help contribute to the empowerment of communities in the fight against climate change,” said Otchiva Founder and CEO Fernanda Renée.  “Beyond inspiring and motivating concrete actions, we are leaving a legacy and contribution to the sustainability of the next generations.”

During the second BAL season, Petro de Luanda made 80 three-pointers, which resulted in Angola being selected for the Threes for Trees campaign.  It was the second consecutive season that Petro de Luanda made the most three pointers in the league.

At the BAL Finals in May, select players, coaches and staff visited Umusambi Village on the outskirts of Kigali to help the community there better understand the effects of climate change and the importance of planting and caring for trees. 

On May 28, Tunisia’s US Monastir defeated Angola’s Petro de Luanda 83-72 to win the 2022 BAL Finals, which took place at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda and was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories.  The 2022 BAL season generated more than 1 billion impressions on social and digital media.