FirstBank Kicks Off 2025 CR&S Week, Pledges 20,000 Trees and VVF Surgeries in Global Kindness Push

 First Bank of Nigeria Limited, the premier bank in West Africa, has launched its 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week, scheduled to run from October 27 to November 1, 2025. Now in its ninth year, the annual event will focus on accelerating community impact, advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and driving global environmental stewardship.

The week is anchored on the Bank’s flagship social initiative, ‘Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness’ (SPARK), which mobilizes employees across the entire FirstBank Group including subsidiaries in the UK, DRC, Ghana, Senegal, and other African nations to dedicate time and resources to meaningful social and environmental causes.

Commenting on the event, Olayinka Ijabiyi, Acting Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications at FirstBank, emphasized the philosophy behind the week-long initiative.

“CR&S Week is a call to action. It is about showing up for humanity, being kind to one another, and proving that even the smallest act can ripple into lasting change,” Ijabiyi said. “FirstBank believes that kindness is a currency that never devalues, and that is why every year since 2017, staff have gone the extra mile to give back to the communities through its SPARK initiative.”

 Key Initiatives for the 2025 Week:

1. Major Environmental Push:

In the final phase of its support for Nigeria’s 2060 decarbonisation agenda, FirstBank will partner with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) to plant at least 20,000 trees. This effort follows the successful planting of 31,000 trees over the past two years, moving the bank closer to its 50,000-tree pledge for 2025.

2. Women’s Empowerment and Health:

Aligning with SDG 5 (Women Empowerment), the Bank announced a collaboration with Borno and Katsina States to provide medical interventions, including surgeries and post-care kits, for women suffering from Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).

3. Community and Educational Outreach:

Throughout the week, the program will feature webinars centered on the SPARK initiative, alongside school engagements designed to instill values of social responsibility in younger generations. The CR&S Week will conclude with visits to orphanages, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, and charitable organizations across Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa, and the UK.

FirstBank encourages the public to participate by performing their own acts of random kindness, reinforcing the belief that collective action can champion causes that uplift lives and promote inclusive development.