First Bank unveils 2025 CR&S Week to empower communities, protect planet
Segun Alebiosu, Chief Executive Officer of First Bank
First Bank has announced the commencement of its 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week, slated to hold from 27 October to 1 November, 2025.
Now in its ninth edition, the annual CR&S Week represents a major milestone in the Bank’s long-standing commitment to community empowerment, environmental protection, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Anchored on the Bank’s signature initiative, ‘Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness’ (SPARK), the 2025 CR&S Week will focus on fostering a culture of kindness, generosity, and compassion across all levels of society.
The SPARK initiative, which has become a defining pillar of FirstBank’s sustainability strategy, encourages employees and stakeholders to make a difference in their communities through simple yet impactful acts of kindness.
Throughout the week, First Bank employees across its global network, including subsidiaries in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal, as well as First Pension and First Nominees, will dedicate their time and resources to activities that uplift communities and advance the Bank’s sustainability goals.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Acting Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Olayinka Ijabiyi, described the CR&S Week as more than just a corporate initiative.
According to him, “CR&S Week is a call to action. It is about showing up for humanity, being kind to one another, and proving that even the smallest act can ripple into lasting change. First Bank believes that kindness is a currency that never devalues, and that is why every year since 2017, staff have gone the extra mile to give back to the communities through its SPARK initiative.”
A major highlight of the 2025 edition will be the planting of at least 20,000 trees in partnership with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF). This marks the final phase of First Bank’s support for Nigeria’s 2060 decarbonisation agenda and builds upon its earlier commitment to plant 50,000 trees by 2025, of which 31,000 have already been planted over the past two years.
In addition, and in line with its commitment to SDG 5 – Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, FirstBank will partner with the governments of Borno and Katsina States to raise funds and provide medical interventions, including surgeries and post-care kits, for women living with Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).
The Bank also plans a range of activities to inspire employees and the public to share messages of kindness and empathy. These include themed webinars centred on the SPARK initiative, school engagements designed to instil values of social responsibility in young people, and visits to orphanage homes, internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and charitable organisations across Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Through these acts, First Bank aims to demonstrate its continued care for both humanity and the environment, in alignment with its Green Recovery Nigeria agenda.
Since its inception in 2017, First Bank’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week has evolved into a flagship event showcasing the Bank’s corporate citizenship and social impact.
The initiative has consistently mobilised thousands of employees, partners, and non-customers to take part in activities that promote inclusive development, environmental consciousness, and community upliftment.
