WWF trains bankers to prioritise environment friendly projects

AS the country and the rest of the world experience effects caused by severe climate change, which are affecting many vital sectors like agriculture, experts say it is high time for the banks in the country to provide loans for projects that guarantee for the environment protection.

The Executive Director at the Tanzania Bankers Association (TBA), Ms Tuse Mwaikasu said that during a two-day training on Sustainable Investment Programme, which aimed at building capacity to 44 members of the association on the subject.

The training that started in Dar es Salaam on Monday was organised by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Country office and facilitated jointly by Financial Sector Deepening (FSD)-Africa and WWF- Kenya.

“With the increasing destruction in our environment some of them caused by projects which do not follow guidelines in proper waste disposals and the like, we believe that our banks are at good position of educating projects owners on the issue before providing the loans as one way of overcoming the challenge,” she stated.

WWF Country Office, Sustainable Investment Programme Regional Project Officer, Ms Happiness Minja, pointed out that the training will enable the bankers to give priority to the projects which are favouring the environment and by that way reduce acts of environmental destruction in the country.

“This is financial new era of conservation. We prepared this training to build the capacity of bankers for them to be able to make environmental social inclusion in all services which are provided by their banks.

“Our aim is to make individuals implement projects which are sustainable but also environmental friendly by using money they get as loans from banks,” she said.

Regional Coordinator- Africa Sustainable Investments and Infrastructure (ASI) Programme, Ms Christine Mwangi from WWF- Kenya, who was one of the facilitators, mentioned that finance and environment are two inseparable issues and they need to be enabled to support each other for their sustainability.

“We are here to share our experiences and how we are succeeding on this issue with our neighbours -Tanzania and how we can work together in this journey of ensuring we have sustainable infrastructures in our countries which are supported by sustainable finances and we believe that we achieve our goal”, she explained