FirstBank Inspires Global Kindness with 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week

First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank), West Africa’s premier financial institution and a leading provider of financial inclusion services, has announced the commencement of its 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week,

Now in its ninth edition, the annual CR&S Week underscores FirstBank’s long-standing commitment to community empowerment, environmental stewardship, and the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Anchored on the theme “Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness” (SPARK), this year’s event aims to deepen the Bank’s culture of compassion and sustainability by encouraging employees and stakeholders to engage in acts of kindness that create lasting positive impact.

Through the SPARK initiative, FirstBank staff across its subsidiaries and affiliates—including FirstBank UK, FirstBank Gambia, FirstBank Sierra Leone, FirstBank DRC, FirstBank Guinea, FirstBank Ghana, FBNBank Senegal, First Pension, and First Nominees—will participate in various community-driven projects focused on social welfare and environmental protection.

Speaking ahead of the week-long event, Olayinka Ijabiyi, Acting Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications at FirstBank, described CR&S Week as “a call to action.”

“CR&S Week is about showing up for humanity and demonstrating that even the smallest acts of kindness can create ripples of lasting change,” she said. “At FirstBank, we believe kindness is a currency that never devalues. Since 2017, our employees have gone the extra mile to give back to communities through the SPARK initiative, inspiring others to perform acts of random kindness.”

As part of its environmental sustainability efforts, the Bank has partnered with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) to plant 20,000 trees during the week, completing the final phase of its pledge to plant 50,000 trees by 2025 in support of Nigeria’s 2060 decarbonisation agenda. So far, the Bank has successfully planted 31,000 trees over the past two years.

In alignment with SDG 5 (Gender Equality and Women Empowerment), FirstBank will also collaborate with the Borno and Katsina State Governments to provide medical interventions, including surgeries and post-care support kits, for women living with Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).

Throughout the CR&S Week, employees will share messages promoting empathy, civility, and generosity, while a series of themed webinars and school engagements will be held to inspire young people to embrace social responsibility and environmental awareness.

The week’s activities will culminate in visits to orphanages, internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and charitable organisations across Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa, and the UK, reflecting the Bank’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable communities.

These initiatives align with FirstBank’s sustainability pillars and its ongoing support for the Green Recovery Nigeria framework, reinforcing the Bank’s role as a socially responsible corporate leader.

Since its inception in 2017, FirstBank’s CR&S Week has evolved into a global movement that mobilises staff, customers, and partners to champion causes that promote inclusive growth, environmental preservation, and community development.

With the 2025 edition, FirstBank once again calls on individuals and organisations to go beyond routine activities and “Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness” a message that continues to define the Bank’s purpose-driven legacy of impact.