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Seed Co Group, a leading pan-African seed company founded in 1940 and operating across almost twenty African countries, has embarked on a transformative tree planting initiative aimed at cultivating environmental conservation, employee motivation, community engagement and agricultural sustainability. With a target to plant 500,000 trees over the next five years, Seed Co is taking significant strides towards making a positive impact on the environment and local communities.

On the 20th of March 2024, in commemoration of the International Day of Forests that falls on 21st March every year, Seed Co took a momentous step forward by planting 1,000 pine trees at its Lusaka West location and another 3,000 at its Mkushi Farm. Led by the Managing Director (MD), Mrs. Grace Bwanali, and accompanied by key members of the management team, including Human Resource (HR) Manager Mr. Nyambe Mubita and Safety Health Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Manager Mr. Kerry Sankalimba, the Tree Planting Project was officially inaugurated.

CSR Network Zambia, represented by the Executive Director Mr. Lee Muzala and the Media Hub Team, was present to witness and cover the launch and document the planting process. In his remarks during a briefing with the MD and her management team, Mr. Muzala commended Seed Co for its ambitious tree planting initiative, emphasizing the significance of such projects in contributing to both national and global environmental targets. With Seed Co’s commitment to planting a variety of 500,000 trees over the next five years, it’s estimated that a considerable acreage of land will be covered. Using a spacing of 2.5 meters between plants and 3 meters between rows, the initiative is projected to encompass approximately 375 hectares of land. This scale of reforestation effort underscores Seed Co’s dedication to environmental conservation and underscores the potential impact of corporate-led initiatives in addressing pressing environmental challenges.

Seed Co’s tree planting initiative also aligns with broader regional and global commitments, such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), a pan-African effort to restore 100 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2030. By participating in AFR100, corporates like Seed Co can play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable land management practices and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Moreover, AFR100 offers a framework for collaboration
between governments, civil society and the private sector, emphasizing the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in achieving landscape restoration goals.

Participation in AFR100 provides corporates with several benefits beyond environmental stewardship. By investing in reforestation and restoration efforts, companies can enhance their CSR profiles, build brand reputation, and strengthen stakeholder relationships. Furthermore, reforestation projects can create opportunities for community engagement, job creation and socio-economic development, contributing to shared prosperity and resilience in local communities. Ultimately, AFR100 offers a platform for corporates to demonstrate leadership in sustainability and contribute to broader efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable future for Africa and the world.

The Seed Co MD, in her address to the gathered employees, emphasized the significance of each individual’s role in nurturing the planted trees. She encouraged staff members to take ownership of the trees they were planting, underscoring the long-term benefits of tree planting for future generations. Trees, she emphasized, are vital for mitigating climate change, preserving biodiversity and enhancing the quality of life for communities.

The initiative extends beyond planting to encompass meaningful community engagement, with a focus on empowering local stakeholders and communities. In addition to its direct tree planting efforts, Seed Co Group has devised strategic approaches to engage farmers and traditional leaders in expanding the reach and impact of its tree planting initiative. One such strategy involves leveraging the company’s established 400 demo-plots, which attract an average of 100 farmers who visit to view the demo crops. Recognizing the potential of these interactions, Seed Co aims to encourage each visiting farmer to plant ten trees, thereby contributing to the overall target of 500,000 trees. By integrating tree planting into these agricultural demonstrations, Seed Co not only expands its reach but also builds a culture of environmental stewardship among farmers.

Furthermore, Seed Co plans to collaborate with traditional leaders in chiefdoms to leverage existing community structures and support networks. Traditional ceremonies held annually present opportune moments to engage community members in tree planting activities. By partnering with traditional leaders, Seed Co can tap into local knowledge and resources while creating a sense of collective responsibility for environmental conservation. Through these partnerships, Seed Co aims to mobilize communities to plant trees and cultivate a deeper appreciation for the importance of sustainable land management practices.

By employing these strategies, Seed Co Group demonstrates its commitment to engaging diverse stakeholders and maximizing the impact of its tree planting initiative. Through collaboration with farmers and traditional leaders, Seed Co seeks to create a ripple effect of environmental awareness and action, ultimately contributing to a greener and more sustainable future for all.

Through collaborations with local leaders and farmers, Seed Co aims to plant trees at its farms and through community initiatives. The company’s agroforestry approach integrates tree planting with agricultural activities, promoting resilient and sustainable farming systems. By strategically planting trees and engaging communities, Seed Co is working towards a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come.

Through initiatives like the tree planting project, Seed Co is not only growing trees but also nurturing a brighter, more sustainable future for Africa and beyond.

As we commemorate Women’s Month, we continue our series of “Celebrating Women in CSR“, to appreciate the achievements of women and inspire all of us under the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, with yet another interview of Kafula Kutontonkanya, the Business Development Lead, Community Affairs Department of FQML Trident in Kalumbila.

What is your background and how did you get into CSR?

My educational journey so far has been in Banking and Finance at undergraduate level and Business Entrepreneurship at postgraduate level. My career begun at the Lusaka Stock Exchange; a real eye opener for the next six (6) years of my life that would be spent in the Corporate Banking arm of one of Africa’s leading commercial banks. In this role, my business development acumen was stimulated as I regularly went above and beyond my job description to offer financial and business management advice to clients at the Bank. Because of this, when the opportunity to take on a business development role as part of the Community Affairs department of FQM Trident Limited in Kalumbila came my way, I took it! And what an interesting time it has been! Over the last one (1) and a half years, I have had to make a drastic transition from being a Corporate Banker managing multi-national business accounts, to helping people in the most remote parts of the country with setting up, scaling up and sustaining their business. My role is a perfect fit as I have had to use my business and financial background to assess and help develop practical business solutions for the small businesses in our community.

Additionally, being a certified trainer for the “Start and Improve Your Business” training module under the International Labor Organization (ILO) program facilitated by Accelerated Growth for SMEs (AGS), has helped me share and deliver business information in a more simplified way that can be easily understood by MSMEs.

What are you passionate about in your work?

I love working with small businesses, I have always loved that. The goal is to ensure that every small business I engage understands the principles that surround business and what it takes to not only become investor-ready but self-reliant as well. To be honest, I never saw myself having a role to play in CSR, at all. In my mind, CSR was an exercise of scheduled donations for image building for a company or brand. Joining the Trident Foundation team has drastically changed my perception on this. Trident Foundation has created the space for me to use my skills, experience and networks to share business knowledge that promotes sustainable income generation. I am passionate about making a difference and having an impact. Being able to see families fend for themselves and have the dignity of work rather than waiting for handouts is a big motivator to keep on doing what we do at TFL.

Could you share one or two challenges you have experienced in your career around CSR and how you overcame them?

Dependency on the Mine – Working in an environment that hosts one of the largest copper mines in Zambia has seen quite a number of challenges with the major one being dependency on the Mine for business contracts and jobs. Whilst the Mine may be the most attractive option/target for small business houses, low-hanging opportunities that surround the Mine’s operations are often missed. This challenge has not been overcome as it is on-going but I do ensure that whenever I have a chance to engage businesses seeking direct opportunities to the Mine, I make mention of other indirect trickle-down benefits that are available as a result of the Mine’s presence.

Cultural barriers – Coming from a culture that is different from the predominant one in North-Western Province, I have encountered a few challenges with communicating effectively to some community members and fully understanding the culture and beliefs. For instance, I learnt that in the Lunda culture (where I’m working) a younger person cannot say “Hello, how are you doing?” to an older person as it is considered disrespectful. You instead request for the older person to greet you, “Ankoleshi Mwane” meaning “Please greet me”. I have slowly learnt a few basic phrases for greetings and showing appreciation, and my hope is to continue to learn more as I engage with the community. My organization has gone a step further to publish an internal cultural awareness handbook to assist with bridging the cultural gap.

What has been the biggest challenge you faced in your work during COVID19? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge was not being able to host trainings and capacity building programs. We had to postpone and cancel a lot of programs that required physical community engagement. Working in a rural set-up makes it even more challenging because the community in which we operate is not fully conversant with technological tools and platforms.

With a reduction in Covid-19 cases, we have resumed our capacity building programs whilst still adhering to official state health guidelines. Our Trident Health team has done an amazing job in creating awareness on issues surrounding Covid-19 and this has helped with implementation of local business support programs in the community.

What can we do to empower more women to come to the CSR forefront and lead the social and/or environmental impact?

There is a need to encourage more women to take up leadership positions not only in CSR but all sectors. Women are known to be caring in nature and have better foresight when handling complex tasks. Professional trainings, skills development and mentorship programs are required to ensure that women are equipped with the necessary skill-set to handle respective lead positions be it in CSR or other fields, including but not limited to handling social and/or environmental issues.

Inviting more women to participate in information sharing events also provides a good base to gather knowledge and learn from the experience of those in different or similar sectors. This on its own is empowerment as well because the networking platforms open up new business relationships that are meaningful to stakeholders and help implementation of CSR activities without having to reinvent the wheel.

What is one thing you wish you had been told when you were starting out that you know now?

That it is not always about working hard but working smart also. Hard work on its own may not guarantee success but working smart most definitely gives you an edge.

What advice would you give to a woman starting her career or involvement in CSR today?

Don’t assume that you know everything. Sometimes academic theories may not work in certain situations and you may need to rely on “logical” instinct. Intuition comes to play a lot in the field of CSR because most times the beneficiaries of this support may not be able to understand certain global standards or international practices. It is our duty to break this down to a comprehensible level without undermining the beneficiaries. The satisfaction of seeing communities develop in a sustainable way due to your involvement in improving their lives is immeasurable!

This International Women’s Day, what is the message that you would like to give out to young women who aspire to break the glass ceiling?

Step up and Step out. The first step to breaking the glass ceiling is realizing that there is no glass ceiling. Women have to step up in the sense that we can no longer afford to continue waiting on activists and women’s movements to give us the opportunities that we want and deserve. We have to step up to challenges and provide real solutions that make us relevant to our spheres and earn us a seat at the table. We have to step up in the sense that opportunity is not going to come where we are, we have got to step out and take it!

There is a saying that goes “The comfort zone is a great place to be…the problem is, nothing ever grows there”. Stepping out for me, has meant challenging preconceived ideas that I had about my education, experience and career path. An education should not be a prison that confines you but a platform that promotes you. I challenge all women to step out of their comfort zones and step into the world of the unfamiliar, because that is where progress lives!

We continue our series of “Celebrating Women in CSR“, to celebrate the achievements of women and inspire all of us under the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, with yet another interview of Selina Nyirenda Kanyuka, the Community Liaison Officer from Munali Nickel Mine operated by Mabiza Resources Limited.

What is your background and how did you get into CSR?

My names are Selina Nyirenda Kanyuka, currently working for Mabiza Resources Limited operators of Munali Nickel Mine as Community Liaison Officer. I currently acquired my master’s in environmental management with my thesis focusing on Sustainability practices and Corporate Social Responsibility in manufacturing industries. I have been into CSR for close to 8 years now, with experience from both the private and public sector.

What are you passionate about in your work?

I’m very passionate about social interactions within local communities and creating a memorable impact on their lives. Community engagement and stakeholder consultancy is key for me as it helps strengthen relations between ourselves and various stakeholders particularly the community. For instance, in 2021, the mine through stakeholder engagement was able to facilitate for two student teachers from the UK that conducted a reading project at Munsangu Primary and Secondary School, a local school, donated a sum of K100,000 and in excess of 200 reading books to the school. The K100,000 was contributed towards the construction of a girl’s hostel at the school.

Could you share one or two challenges you have experienced in your career around CSR and how you overcame them?

The Challenge of unforeseen costs and high implementation costs that arise during or before execution of projects or initiatives.

This has been overcome by simply increasing the budget for CSR projects for the year 2022 and an allocation of emerging opportunities was introduced alongside the main budget. Emerging opportunities cater for eventualities that were not planned for in the budgets. These two budget allocations have reduced on the delay of implementation of CSR initiatives due to high costs or the risk of projects being abandoned mid-way.

What has been the biggest challenge you faced in your work during COVID19? How did you overcome it?

Covid-19 has not spared any organization. Most CSR activities at Munali Nickel mine had to be slowed down. Physical interactions in the community were briefly stopped at the increase of the pandemic.  However, the company has proactively engaged in various CSR activities, particularly in the fight against COVID-19 such as donating of face masks, sanitizers, and disinfectants to local schools. CSR activities have since been carefully evaluated prioritizing which activities can be undertaken with strict guidelines being followed.

What can we do to empower more women to come to the CSR forefront and lead the social and/or environmental impact?

There is need to invest more in women empowerment programs within local communities. Intensifying more on sensitizations and encouraging women to break free from their traditional roles and gender stereotyping.

What is one thing you wish you had been told when you were starting out that you know now?

In community service, its not just the big leaps that count. I wish I knew that It’s not just big steps or rather projects that will create a big impact on the community.  Now I have come to realize that small steps have the power to make big changes. What we deem as little and meaningless steps create an impact on some individual out there.

What advice would you give to a woman starting her career or involvement in CSR today?

Develop CSR initiatives that relate to the challenges and needs of the community. Ensure the initiatives are attainable.

This International Women’s Day, what is the message that you would like to give out to young women who aspire to break the glass ceiling?

For every woman that wants to do exploits, believe in yourself.  You can do more than you think. Don’t let anyone or any surrounding situation limit or define you.

We continue our series of “Celebrating Women in CSR“, to celebrate the achievements of women and inspire all of us under the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, with an interview of Rhoda Daka, the CSR Superintedent from Lubambe Copper Mine.

What is your background and how did you get into CSR?

I am a holder of Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Zambia, with 18 years working experience in community related work, 9 years of which I have served the Communities under Lubambe Copper Mine.

I started my work career with an NGO called Zambia Children Education Foundation in 2000 where I was employed as a Community Mobiliser, thereafter I joined Lubambe Copper Mine in 2012 as an Assistant Community Liaison Officer where I served diligently, that by 2014 I was elevated to Community Liaison Officer. In 2016 I was promoted to CSR Superintendent the position I hold to date.

I got into CSR after I reacted to the Job advert in the national newspaper in which the Mine needed the services of an Assistant Community Liaison Officer

What are you passionate about in your work?

I am passionate about helping the disadvantaged attain an improved economic status in life, because I understand what it means to lack basic necessities

Could you share one or two challenges you have experienced in your career around CSR and how you overcame them?

Managing community expectations and Community Over dependency on the mine.

What has been the biggest challenge you faced in your work during COVID19? How did you overcome it?

Failure by Community members to adhere to Covid 19 protocols, eg coming for a meeting without a mask

We moved with masks in our bags to distribute to community members attending meetings without masking up

What can we do to empower more women to come to the CSR forefront and lead the social and/or environmental impact?

• Expose more women to empowerment strategies
• Educating a girl child and supporting fellow women
• Advocating for women colleagues

What is one thing you wish you had been told when you were starting out that you know now?

That a successful CSR must be lady-driven.

What advice would you give to a woman starting her career or involvement in CSR today?

There is no limit to what we can accomplish as woman once we put our mind to it. We are the real architects of our communities. Find something you are passionate about and hold on to it and I can assure you that not even the sky will be the limit!

This International Women’s Day, what is the message that you would like to give out to young women who aspire to break the glass ceiling?

My encouragement is that, let us believe in ourselves more. Let us be confident in the decisions that we make. It helps to have a variety of mentors both male and female. Also, as women let us stop competing against each other, let every woman know her worth and be proud of it. Let us create a network of women so that we may encourage and cheer each other on. Let us step out of our comfort zone, promote ourselves and strategies to succeed.