By Ayomide Otitoju
FirstBank, West Africa’s premier financial institution and a leader in financial inclusion, has announced the commencement of its 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week, scheduled to run from October 27 to November 1, 2025.
Now in its ninth year, the annual CR&S Week reaffirms the Bank’s unwavering commitment to community empowerment, environmental protection, and the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the heart of this year’s edition is the Bank’s flagship initiative, “Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness” (SPARK), through which FirstBank continues to promote a culture of empathy and social responsibility. The programme mobilises employees across the FirstBank Group—including operations in Nigeria, the UK, Gambia, Sierra Leone, DRC, Guinea, Ghana, Senegal, as well as its subsidiaries, First Pension and First Nominees—to contribute their time and resources toward impactful causes that align with the Bank’s sustainability agenda.
Speaking on the event, Olayinka Ijabiyi, Acting Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications at FirstBank, described the CR&S Week as a call to collective action.
“CR&S Week is about showing up for humanity and proving that even the smallest act of kindness can create lasting change. Kindness is a currency that never devalues, and since 2017, our staff have gone the extra mile to uplift communities through SPARK,” she said.
As part of its environmental commitment, FirstBank will plant 20,000 trees during the week in partnership with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), marking the final phase of its contribution to Nigeria’s 2060 decarbonisation target. This effort builds on the Bank’s earlier pledge to plant 50,000 trees by 2025, with 31,000 already planted in the past two years.
In further support of the UN SDG 5 (Gender Equality), the Bank will also collaborate with the Borno and Katsina State Governments to provide medical interventions—including surgeries and post-care support—for women living with Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).
Throughout the week, employees will share messages of compassion and take part in themed webinars centred on the SPARK initiative. The Bank will also engage schools to instil values of generosity and civic responsibility among young people. The programme will culminate in visits to orphanages, internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and charitable organisations across Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa, and the UK.
Since its inception in 2017, FirstBank’s CR&S Week has grown into a global movement for kindness, driving social impact and environmental sustainability across its markets. The initiative underscores the Bank’s role as a responsible corporate citizen, inspiring individuals and organisations alike to perform acts of kindness and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable world.
