Equity Bank Uganda has committed Sh37.6 billion in green loans to support climate-friendly investments, as financial institutions and development partners step up efforts to accelerate Uganda’s transition to a green economy.
The bank’s managing director, Gift Shoko, announced the figures during the third CEOs’ Breakfast Meeting and High-Level Dialogue on Green Economy, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sustainability, held at the UNICEF Conference Centre in Mbuya, Kampala, on Wednesday, October 14.
The meeting was held under the theme, “Accelerating Uganda’s Green Economy Transition Through Digital Transformation”, bringing together government officials, business leaders, development partners and civil society representatives to discuss ways of financing sustainable economic growth and strengthening resilience to climate change.
Shoko delivered a keynote panel address, highlighting the role of financial institutions in mobilising capital for renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, clean cooking, water and sanitation, and environmentally sustainable businesses.
He said Uganda needed to move beyond discussions about sustainability and invest in practical projects that can attract financing, deliver measurable results and improve people’s livelihoods.
“The question is no longer whether Uganda can afford to invest in sustainability. The question is whether we can afford not to,” Shoko said.
He added that Equity Bank Uganda was committed to mobilising finance, expanding access to sustainable solutions and building partnerships to accelerate the country’s green transition.
“When government provides the enabling environment, the private sector innovates, development partners catalyse investment and financial institutions mobilise capital at scale, Uganda will not merely participate in the green economy, it can thrive through it,” he said.
Shoko outlined the bank’s green financing initiatives, saying it had disbursed Sh37.6 billion in green loans, supported the sale of 157,035 clean-energy products and brought 18 clean-energy implementing partners on board.
He also said the bank had mobilised Sh4.75 billion in green financing through a partnership with the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company (UECCC).
In addition, Equity Bank Uganda had contributed to the planting of 96,638 trees over the past three years as part of its environmental conservation efforts.
Shoko also highlighted an agreement worth $200 million secured by Equity Group to support smallholder farmers and micro and small enterprises through climate-smart agriculture and related interventions.
Uganda is expected to access about 25 per cent of the funding, equivalent to approximately $50 million, to support eligible projects and businesses.
The financing is expected to help farmers and small businesses strengthen their operations, adopt more sustainable practices and improve their ability to withstand climate-related shocks.
The bank has also invested in tree-planting initiatives in schools, encouraging learners to take responsibility for growing and protecting trees as part of long-term environmental conservation.
Under its Equity Green Schools Programme, the bank aims to plant 200,000 trees by 2027.
At Nakanyonyi Secondary School in Mukono District, about 3,500 trees were planted during the programme’s launch. Kyasanku Hill College in Mpigi received 1,500 trees, while St Julian High School in Wakiso district received 1,000 trees during a 2025 campaign.
At Busoga College Mwiri, more than 43,000 indigenous trees were planted across the school’s hillsides.
The broader programme targets 50,000 trees across 25 schools in 10 districts by the end of 2026, with additional planting expected through school orchards.
Beyond environmental conservation, discussions at the meeting focused on how to make green investments commercially viable, attract private capital and use technology to expand access to clean energy and other sustainable solutions.
Participants also examined the effects of rising temperatures and increasingly unpredictable rainfall on agriculture, household incomes and Uganda’s wider economic development.
They called for stronger protection of wetlands, restoration of degraded land and increased investment in renewable energy, while urging leaders to translate sustainability commitments into practical policies, regulations and individual action.
Speakers emphasised that economic growth should go hand in hand with protecting the natural environment, warning that failure to act could leave future generations facing greater environmental and economic challenges.
The dialogue also explored employee wellness as an important part of organisational sustainability, alongside the need to expand opportunities for women, including those aged above 40, and young people.
Equity Bank Uganda said it was working to strengthen support for women and youth, expand wellness partnerships and use the Young Africa Works framework to improve access to skills development, financial literacy and appropriate financing.
The bank said it had trained more than 100,000 young people in financial literacy and capacity development.
Participants called for successful sustainability initiatives to be expanded beyond individual organisations through stronger partnerships among government, financial institutions, businesses and development agencies.
The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah Oboth, was listed as the keynote speaker and guest of honour. Other speakers included representatives of UNICEF, the World Bank and Heifer International in Uganda.
Organisations represented at the meeting included the Office of the Prime Minister, Go Green, the Uganda Communications Commission, the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, Enabel, Uganda Railways, NEC Uzima Limited and Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation.
Equity Bank Uganda said its sustainability initiatives were aligned with its wider purpose of transforming lives, giving dignity and expanding opportunities for wealth creation
