Next Media Launches 10-Year Programme to Plant 500 Million Trees

What the report says

Next Media has announced a 10-year environmental programme aimed at planting 500 million trees across Uganda, with the first planting season set for March 2027, according to Nile Post. The project, called 500 Million Trees for Uganda, is being rolled out with East African Carbon Company (EACC) and supported by NBS, Capital FM and the Next Media Foundation.

Next Media Group CEO Kin Kariisa unveiled the initiative on November 5, 2026, and invited large companies to come on board as Founding Partners before a January 31, 2027 deadline. The company said participants can contribute through a one-time payment model and receive a named, GPS-mapped forest block, progress reports and other recognition. The programme will run in phases rather than as a single mass planting drive.

A key feature of the plan is that success will be judged by tree survival, not only by how many seedlings are planted. Next Media said annual public updates will be issued, while EACC will handle site selection, seedling production, planting and aftercare. The planting will focus on degraded or open land within Uganda’s protected estate, as well as suitable private land from communities and partners.

The media group said the effort is tied to Uganda’s wider development goals, including its ambition to grow into a $500 billion economy by 2040. It also follows earlier environmental campaigns by Next Media, including Taasa Obutonde and a previous 15 Million Trees initiative.