News & Press

Smallholder farmers benefit from afforestation program

• By Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
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• Feb 22, 2019

On February 22, Mr. Keriako Tobiko, CBS, SC, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry had a tour at Better Globe Forestry's Plantation in Kiambere. There they learned more about how the joint commercial tree planting program, supported by Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and Better Globe Forestry (BGF), has been benefical for more than 4,500 smallholder farmers in the Embu and Kitui Counties. They also discussed the importance of having a strategic collaboration between private sector entities and government agencies to reach the 10% tree cover in Vision 2030.

Better Globe - Green Messiah of the Africa

• By Mirror Review
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• Nov 29, 2018

Mirror Review depicts achievements of companies and entrepreneurs and sheds light on innovations they are carrying to disrupt the current market scenario. Doing so, they picked Better Globe Forestry among the 20 Most Admired Companies of 2018.

Social Entrepreneurship #1 on Best Seller List

• By Amazon.com
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• Nov 26, 2017

Social Entrepreneurship – The Better Globe Way is an insightful and educational journey into the struggles faced by rural African communities. Rino Solberg helps readers understand how Better Globe Forestry is a unique company that has fully embraced poverty reduction in Africa as its main objective. In this book, you will learn more than how trees help the environment and poor communities; you will also learn just how powerful social entrepreneurship can be if companies, NGOs, governments, and people start building Africa the Better Globe Way.

Better Globe's Business Model is Catching Interest at London Stock Exchange

• By Business Worldwide Magazine
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• Oct 31, 2017

Rino Solberg’s interview with Business Worldwide Magazine depicts the entrepreneur exactly how he is: an experienced businessman with decades of training and humanitarian efforts in his repertoire. In his interview, Rino explains how Better Globe Forestry works, what the business model does for others, and how trees can save the planet and rural communities.

10^th Place of Norway's Most Successful Companies

• By Dagens Næringsliv
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• Oct 30, 2017

The Gazelles are Norway's fastest growing and most successful companies. Every year, Dagens Næringsliv proclaims Norwegian counties and the country's most successful gazelles. Better Globe AS had a 537 percent increased revenue for the past four years and received a Gazelle prize for tenth place out of 146 other nominated companies in Østfold, Norway.

Phase 3 of School's Green Initiative Challenge Begins

• By Daily Nation
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• May 5, 2017

Now entering its third phase, the Green Initiative Challenge (GIC) plans to include 99 new schools in its expansion. The project has helped implement environmental awareness in schools by keeping students active in the tree planting process. As a partnership between two entities dedicated to social responsibilities, the GIC is continuing its goal of covering 460 acres with over 400,000 seedlings total.

Foundation appoints Rino as goodwill ambassador

• By Atlantic Victoria Foundation
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• Apr 18, 2017

Among Rino Solberg's recent accomplishments is his appointment as Goodwill Ambassaor and Chief Consultant of the Atlantic Victoria Foundation. The foundation recognizes innovative intellectualism that contributes to the economic transformation across Africa. Through his work, Solberg has been able to create social change in East African communities with economic security.

Most Innovative CEO - Kenya

• By CV Magazine
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• Jan 5, 2017

Operating its head offices and plantations in Kenya and Uganda, Better Globe Forestry Ltd. is intent on developing business and eradicating poverty in Africa. The company is run by Rino Solberg, who gives us an insight into how his innovative company has achieved success on the continent.

Weapon Against Drought

• By Business Daily
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• Dec 28, 2016

Jan Vandenabeele of Better Globe Forestry says the mukau (melia volkensii) tree is one of humanity's best weapons to fight drought in Africa. With mukau you can sustainably create some wealth in dry, rural areas.

Rural communities are turning their attention to growing the drought-tolerant melia volkensii (mukau) tree

• By Business Daily
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• Dec 27, 2016
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• Photo courtesy: James Karuga

In Kenya’s semi-arid regions that are grappling with climate change, rural communities are turning their attention to growing the drought-tolerant melia volkensii (mukau) tree. This fast maturing hardwood tree has multiple uses and its timber is lucrative and in high demand.

Arid land wonder tree spurs new economic opportunities

• By CleanLeap
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• Dec 21, 2016
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• Photo courtesy: Robert Muhereza

With support from Better Globe Forestry (BGF), 2,000 farmers have each set aside 2 acres to grow the mukau (melia volkensii) tree. According to Jan Vandenabeele of BGF, mukau is one of the best options to reduce droughts in dry lands. BGF is providing farmers with technical advice and seedlings.

Prime Minister Rugunda Hails Norwegian Investors

• By Daily Monitor
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• Dec 13, 2016

Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda hailed Norwegian investors for establishing Child Africa, an organization that runs centers for the rehabilitation and education of vulnerable children in Uganda. Child Africa started in 1991 in Kabale Town as a center for needy children before establishing other centers at Equator, Tororo, Kampala and Kasese, which also benefit more than 15,000 children through education and other essential needs.

Building a green economy through Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives

• By People Daily
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• Nov 9, 2016

In 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that aims to end poverty and inequalities and combat climate change. Many government entities and corporations have collaborated to bring to life the greening of the economy through environmental sustainability programs. One of these is the partnership between Bamburi Cement, KenGen Foundation and Better Globe Forestry Foundation.

What is Schools' Green Initiative Challenge?

• By GIC Project
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• Nov 7, 2016

The project acts as a change to establish a tree-planting culture in dry-land areas through participating schools. The main objective is greening of over 460 acres of semi-arid land. The afforestation competition is in line with the Government of Kenya’s Vision 2030 to achieve 10 percent forest cover across the country.

Better Globe Won 4th Place Gazelle Prize

• By Dagens Næringsliv
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• Oct 28, 2016

On October 28, 2016, Better Globe AS received a Gazelle Prize for an honorable 4th place out of 110 other nominated companies in Østfold, Norway. The sales company's turnover has increased with more than 600 percent over the past four years, where they had NOK 22.4 million in revenue in 2015. Dagfinn Rognerud was present and accepted the award on behalf of Better Globe AS in Sarpsborg, Norway. A gazelle company must have:

• Submitted approved accounting.
• At least doubled its turnover over four years.
• Sales of over 1 million Norwegian kroners the first year.
• Overall positive operating profit.
• Avoided negative growth.
• Been a corporation.

Ukambani is Moving from Brown to Green

• By People Daily
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• Oct 4, 2016

Pupils in Kitui County are growing trees in their schools to fight drought through a program supported by The Green Initiative Challenge. Seeing the contrast of the woodlot and the rest of the school compound in the past six months has brought hope that it is possible to transform the environment.

Schools in dry regions plant trees to change their environment

• By Sunday Nation
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• Sep 25, 2016
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• Photo courtesy: Jan Bolmeson

13-year-old Joyce Nduku Mutunga explains how her school’s Green Club teaches her and her classmates about trees and their effect on the environment. She nurtures her tree by watering it twice a week and applies manure on it, which she continues throughout the December holidays when her school is closed.

Panda Miti - Tree magazine for children

• By The Green Initiative Challenge
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• Sep 21, 2016

The Panda Miti magazine is a tool used by the Green Initiative Challenge to increase tree-planting knowledge among children at schools who participate in the environmental restoration and conservation program.

An afforestation initiative, dubbed Green Initiative Challenge, is teaching young students to care for their environment

• By The Standard
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• Sep 21, 2016

The tree cover in Kenya has suffered due to more cutting than planting over several decades. The Green Initiative Challenge, funded by Kengen Foundation, Better Globe Forestry and Bamburi Cement, has involved children and teachers at over 100 schools to plant trees as part of their practical studies through their afforestation project.

Taxpayers 2015 Award

• By Standard Digital
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• Oct 22, 2015

Better Globe Forestry received the distinguished Taxpayers 2015 award for Best Corporation Tax Yield — Small and Medium Enterprises. Lawrence Muema, Finance Manager of Better Globe Forestry, accepted the award on behalf of Better Globe Forestry in a ceremony graced by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

KenGen MD meets with Better Globe Chairman

• By KenGen Weekly
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• May 13, 2016

Better Globe Chairman Rino Solberg and Eng. Mugo from KenGen exchanged views on the sustainable greening of the 7-Forks area through commercial tree planting as well as broad issues touching on poverty alleviation and entrepreneurship.
(See page 5)

Belgium Club visits Better Globe Forestry Plantation in Kiambere

• By Embassy of Belgium in Nairobi
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• Sep 18, 2016

Better Globe Forestry is a focus point of Belgians in Kenya. The ambassador of Belgium to Kenya regularly visits Better Globe Forestry’s projects there, and is interested in our ventures because we expand beyond the normal scope of tree planting.

School project transforms students into conservation ambassadors

• By The Star
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• Mar 10, 2016

The need to teach younger generations about conservation has never been more urgent, especially in the face of a changing climate. Ecosystems and tourism manager Albert Musando says, "This is a culture change campaign to make the children appreciate the environment. When they grow and start working, they understand that industries should drive activities with respect to environment."

TUMAINI Award

• By World Vision
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• Jun 16, 2014

Individuals, civil society organizations, companies and members of the media who have made significant contributions and efforts to improve the lives of children in Uganda were recognized at the TUMAINI Awards on June 13, 2014. Our partner Child Africa received first place, competing with about 50 other NGOs/CBOs in the education category. This was the biggest group of the prestigious Tumaini Awards Program that year.

Tor Arne Rønningen from Flisa, Norway, contributes in a bigger forestry project in Kenya

• By Jon Holden, Glåmdalen News
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• Sep 3, 2013

Tor Arne is one of many thousand tree owners through Better Globe who visited Better Globe Forestry's plantations in Kenya and Child Africa's school projects in Uganda during a customer trip in 2013. In this interview, Tor Arne talks about his trip and shares his experiences of how Better Globe Forestry plants trees in the dry and impoverished areas of Kenya, provides water to the projects and to the locals, and contributes towards refurbishment and building of schools.

Jim Henning Olsen, a teacher at Fredheim in Norway, spent his summer vacation to support our project in Kenya

• By Steinar Sund, Hadeland News
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• Aug 12, 2013

Not only did Jim visit our tree plantations and supported schools, but he also brought a lot of clothes to donate to Kenyan school children. Some of the clothes came from Norwegian schools and had missing owners. The uniforms given from Brandbu Sports Association were very popular among the children.

KenGen Foundation, Bamburi Cement Ltd and Better Globe Forestry Ltd sign a Kshs. 120 Million MoU for environmental Conservation

• By LaFarge
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• Dec 8, 2012

Under the Kshs. 120 Million MoU, the Green Initiative Challenge is scaling up to a 10-year program with 2 phases to include an additional 120 schools annually from Mbeere South, Mbeere North, Masinga and Kitui Sub-Counties. The goal is to plant a total of 460 acres with 300,000 commercial and wood fuel trees and 113,956 fruits trees in 919 new schools over that period.

Africa needs to remain focused and continue following the late Wangari Maathai’s initiatives

• By Vaflahi Meite, Manager of the Operations Department, Centre for the Development of Enterprise
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• Oct 3, 2011
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• Photo courtesy: Isaiah Esipisu

The United Nations estimated that, by the time of Professor Wangari Maathai’s death, over 11 billion trees had been planted, especially in Africa, by different organizations through her campaign. According to Jan Vandenabeele, the executive director of Better Globe Forestry, there remains a need for civil society and social organizations to join hands to plant more trees and harvest them sustainably. But, he said, Kenya may be close to achieving Maathai’s dream.

Better Globe Forestry introduces an innovative business model for sustainable development

• By Vaflahi Meite, Manager of the Operations Department, Centre for the Development of Enterprise
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• June, 2011

In this Miti magazine, we had some articles that also mentioned Better Globe Forestry (BGF). BGF operations consist mainly of "sustainable agricultural programs through microfinance systems, educational programs and building schools." Mr. Meite asks how many examples exist in the world of a private company promoting massive planting of trees in ASAL where the trees are not competing with food production?

The importance of forests is recognized as world marks Day of Biological Diversity

• By Jan Vandenabeele
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• May 22, 2011

Every year, May 22 is celebrated as United Nations Day of Biological Diversity. This year, the theme of the celebration was Forests and Biodiversity, in line with the declaration of 2011 as the International Year of Forests.

From Uganda with memories for life

• By John Sandvik, Strandbuen News
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• Oct 22, 2010

Strand High School in Norway raised money to support Child Africa in Uganda. One teacher and three students visited Child Africa to see how money was being spent and how its schools operate. With the help of Rosemary Søyland, general manager of Child Africa, they got a life time experience far out of their comfort zone.

Child Africa's school in Kabale gives hope to needy children

• By Robert Muhereza, Daily Monitor
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• Mar 24, 2009

Our NGO partner Child Africa gives education to pupils with disabilities in Kabale, Uganda. Educating empoverished vulnarable children is one key element to bring a country out of poverty. Child Africa also focuses on building honesty and integrity among them to save the country from future corruption.