SBM Leisure Park, La Vigie, September 30: Planting the future, one tree at a time. On Tuesday, September 30, the SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd and the Forestry Service under the Ministry at the Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy inked an agreement through the launch of the initiative ‘One Account, One Tree’ designed as innovative blending financial inclusion and ecological commitment by offering a new born holding an account SBM Amigos a tree planted on its name.
Seen as going beyond an environmental action, the initiative aims to create a unique, profound, and sustainable bond between children and nature since birth, where each family will receive an attesting certificate of the tree assigned to the child and the invitation to keep coming back over the years to witness history flourishing in front of their growing up years. The event took place in the presence of the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Dr Arvin Boolell, Junior Minister Fabrice David, forest conservator Poojanraj Khurun, as well as several stakeholders hailing from the ministry and the SBM.
Dr Boolell, in his speech, has emphasised the importance of the project set in the national context where the initiative ‘One Account, One Tree’ perfectly embodies the public-private partnership, incepting concrete actions for the future. Planting a tree for each child implies offering to future generations a living legacy that will grow with them. This commitment will help contribute not only to protecting the local biodiversity but also to strengthening ecological awareness since a very young age, » he commented.
In her speech, Officer-in-Charge at the SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd Rita Gujadhur has emphasised the importance of the initiative pertaining to the bank’s commitment to the future generation. « We express our deepest gratitude to the Forestry Service at the Ministry of Agro-industry, Food Security, and the Blue Economy for this partnership, and through such support, we are able to give wings to this initiative. Planting a tree for every newborn opening an SBM Amigos bank account is not only symbolic, but also serves as an initiative to forge a strong bond with nature since a young age.
‘The One Account, One Tree’ fully fits into the Sustainability Agenda of the SBM, showcasing the willingness to go beyond financial services offerings to actively support a greener and more responsible society. Every opening of the SBM Amigos account becomes a tangible act to commit towards the future, offering children a heritage that will flourish as they grow up. The SBM, through this project, has reaffirmed its ambition in contributing to making Mauritius sustainable, fostering the protection of biodiversity, raising environmental awareness, and the creation of intergenerational links surrounding nature.
