Britam embraces Ecoforest climate tech platform to plant, monitor 10,000 trees

By Inspirer Correspondent.

Britam Insurance Company Rwanda Ltd is using the Ecoforest climate tech platform to plant and monitor 10,000 climate smart trees with smallholder farmers in Rwanda.

At least 1,000 trees were planted in Mageragere Sector, Nyarugenge District on Wednesday November 5.

This initiative is part of Britam Rwanda’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), focused on climate resilience, communities and long term impact.

Through Ecoforest, each tree planted under this CSR initiative is mapped, monitored and supported.

Farmers receive productive tree species, training and follow up.

Britam receives clear data on survival, growth and social impact, so that its CSR is not a one day activity but an ongoing contribution to resilience.

The company is using its CSR budget to plant trees that support farmers, food security and climate resilience, not only symbolic trees as Ecoforest provides digital monitoring (dMRV), farmer support and clear evidence of real impact.

This initiative shows how private sector CSR can work together with local climate tech and farmers to build long term value.

Julie Mutoni, the Board Director at Britam, said: “We’re very proud to be part of this tree planting initiative, which reflects Britam’s strong commitment to sustainability — in line with Rwanda’s Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

She said they chose tree planting with smallholder farmers because it allows our CSR to address several priorities at the same time.

“Tree planting might seem like a simple act, but it has a lasting impact. It represents our belief that sustainability starts with practical action. Today, we’ve planted 1,000 trees, and as part of Britam’s strategic plan, we’re targeting 1.5 million trees across the country over the next five years. These trees will contribute to Rwanda’s national reforestation efforts and support environmental restoration — improving air quality, restoring soil, and building climate resilience for future generations,” she said.

Trees help to stabilise the climate, protect soil and water, and support food production, which are all critical issues in Rwanda.

By working directly with farmers, she said, they are not only planting trees, but also strengthening rural livelihoods and resilience.

“This fits very well with Britam’s purpose of protecting people, businesses and communities, and it allows our CSR budget to create visible, long term value on the ground.We were looking for a solution that could link our CSR strategy to real implementation capacity in the field and provide us with clear data. Ecoforest brings both,” she said.

The firm’s goal, she explained,  is to integrate sustainability into every part of its business — from the way it invests to how it engages with communities.

“This tree planting program is one of several initiatives under our sustainability agenda. Beyond today’s 1,000 trees, we’ll be planting 10,000 more at the Magerere site, and others in different parts of the country. We’re aligning these efforts with both Rwanda’s Green Growth Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on climate action, environmental protection, and community empowerment.” she noted.

For Britam, she said, environmental conservation goes hand in hand with purpose — protecting lives, property, and livelihoods.

“A healthy environment means lower risks and stronger communities, which directly connects to our work as insurers. We know that sustainable business growth depends on a sustainable planet, and that’s why through the platform, every tree planted under this initiative is mapped and monitored, and farmers who are caring for the trees receive support. We value that Ecoforest is a climate tech platform built in Rwanda, designed to work directly with smallholder farmers.”

That combination of community presence and digital monitoring made Ecoforest the right platform for us, she added.

Britam’s CSR strategy in Rwanda focuses on three areas.

These are people, community resilience and the environment.

 

Planting 10,000 trees with farmers speaks directly to all three.

“ It is a practical climate action that supports adaptation in rural areas, while also creating a stronger base for local livelihoods. Over time, as these trees grow, they will continue to contribute to food security, shade, soil protection and carbon sequestration, which are core to our sustainability ambitions.”

Ecoforest is designed as a digital monitoring, reporting and verification platform.

For Britam, it provides geo referenced tree data, survival rates, replacement triggers and simple analytics that show trends per site and per season.

The platform also includes farmer level insights, for example how many farmers are participating, what species they received and how the trees are performing.

All this is accessible through digital dashboards and periodic reports, which Britam can use internally and in its public sustainability communications.

Amudala Museme who is part of the team that that has developed the “Ecoforest Climate Tech Platform, said that Ecoforest works a bit like a digital file for every tree.

“After planting, each tree or tree plot is registered with GPS coordinates, farmer details and basic information about the species. The Ecoforest team and local Green Agents collect periodic updates using mobile tools, both mobile app and USSD, including survival, growth and condition,” he explained.

The platform aggregates this information and presents it through dashboards and reports that show how many trees are alive, how they are growing and where replacements are needed.

“Partners like Britam can then see their impact in a transparent way,” he noted.

Nyarugenge District Executive Administrator, Alexis Ingangare, emphasized that tree planting is part of the district’s performance contract and that private sector partnerships, like with Britam, help achieve these goals.

“In our district performance contract, we have also tree planting… that is why we have that partnership with not only with Britam, but with all stakeholders so that we can plant more than 30,000 trees.”
“Today we planted 1,000. And then the remaining, we come and then we plant them so that we can have Rwanda green,” he noted.

He said Community participation is central to planning and implementation

“Sustainability depends on citizen ownership. Because the trees reflect community wishes, residents are expected to protect and maintain them.”

He highlighted both environmental and economic benefits, aiming for a greener Rwanda that benefits both present and future generations.

“Trees give us good air… financially, they can bring money. So we want to make our Rwanda green… we hope that our generation will live in the Rwanda where we have a green country.”

“Global warming is real. And as Britam, we have a social responsibility… to participate in reducing the effects of global warming. And one of the ways is to make sure that we plant trees so that we can purify the air and reduce the carbon emissions,” said  Andrew Kulaigye, the CEO of Britam.

Tree planting and environmental protection are embedded in Britam’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy for 2026–2030.

“Britam plans to use digital tools to track each tree planted — ensuring accountability and transparency. The same technology may later be applied to agricultural insurance, helping farmers monitor crops and losses in real time.”

“We don’t want to plant trees and then we can’t trace them… I should be able to show you digitally where these trees are… If we plant and [some don’t survive], we will plant another one to replace that one.
We will be able to deploy this same system in agriculture insurance… so that you don’t wait until harvest to realize that you are not able to get the actual production you were looking for,” he added.

 About the Ecoforest climate tech platform

Ecoforest is a climate tech platform built in Rwanda that connects organisations and farmers to plant, monitor and monetise climate smart trees with clear digital evidence of impact.

Through tree level data, farmer support tools and simple dashboards, Ecoforest helps turn CSR and sustainability budgets into real trees, real farms and real resilience.

About Britam Insurance Rwanda

Britam Insurance Company Rwanda Ltd is a leading provider of insurance solutions in Rwanda, committed to protecting people, businesses and communities while supporting sustainable development through strategic CSR initiatives.