WASA/TAKUSHARA, FCT, ABUJA — The Steron Community Development Foundation (SCDF), in partnership with the Climate Action Team Initiative and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), has planted 100 trees in Wasa and Takushara communities of the Federal Capital Territory under its “Befriend a Tree Initiative.”

The environmental exercise, which brought together staff of Steron Group, community members and development partners, was aimed at promoting environmental sustainability, strengthening community participation and mitigating the environmental impact associated with extractive activities.

Of the 100 seedlings planted, 80 were economic trees comprising mango and orange varieties, while 20 were mast trees planted at strategic locations across the two communities to support soil stability and improve the local environment.

Leading the exercise was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Steron Group, Abubakar Sadiq Omar, mni, who personally participated in the tree-planting exercise and planted more than 20 trees alongside residents.

Speaking during the exercise, Omar described the initiative as a personal commitment to environmental responsibility, stressing that companies operating in the extractive sector must take deliberate steps to protect and restore the environment in the communities where they operate.

The participation of the Steron Group chief executive alongside residents attracted commendation from partner organizations and community stakeholders, who described the gesture as a demonstration of corporate leadership and responsible engagement with host communities.

Daniel Black, founder of the Growth for Sustainable Agriculture Initiative and immediate past President of the YALI Network, commended Steron Group and SCDF for the initiative. He said the commitment demonstrated by the company represented an encouraging example of environmental responsibility within Nigeria’s extractive industry.

Similarly, Ebaide Omiunu, founder of the Ebaidebhek Initiative (TEI) and a partner of SCDF, described Steron Group as a model of corporate responsibility, particularly in its approach to environmental sustainability and community development.

Representing NEITI, the organization’s Gender and Environment Officer, Stephanie, said the agency would continue to support initiatives that promote environmental responsibility and transparency within the extractive sector.

She added that NEITI would continue to monitor the activities of mining companies and encourage accountability in their engagements with host communities.

The exercise also witnessed the participation of the entire Steron Group workforce, who worked alongside residents of Wasa and Takushara throughout the tree-planting exercise.

According to the organizers, the initiative forms part of Steron Group’s broader community development and environmental sustainability programme, with activities designed to extend beyond its mining operations.

The foundation is also scheduled to commence a clean-cooking initiative in the two communities in the coming week. Under the programme, Steron Group’s Community Development Manager, Halima Imam, will train women in Wasa and Takushara on the production of briquettes as an alternative clean-cooking fuel.

The initiative is expected to contribute to cleaner household energy use, reduce pressure on trees and promote a healthier environment in the host communities.

The organizers said the Befriend a Tree Initiative would be sustained beyond the initial planting exercise, with emphasis on nurturing and protecting the seedlings until they mature.

They said the long-term success of the programme would ultimately be measured not only by the number of trees planted, but by their survival and contribution to the environmental and economic wellbeing of Wasa and Takushara communities.