The MCB Group is organizing this week reflection, awareness and training sessions on the theme of climate change.
During this Klima Week, whose theme was “Klima: time to act”, MCB had the privilege to welcome Dr. François Gemenne, a specialist in the geopolitics of the environment and migrations, and a member of the eminent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He was accompanied by specialists from the French firm Utopies, led by its founder, Elisabeth Laville.
Since 2018, the MCB has started a series of consultations and reflections on the subject, with, among others, the holding of a Klima conference in 2020, shortly before the pandemic. At that time, the Group committed to reduce its carbon emissions, to get out of coal financing and announced support for companies willing to engage in mitigation or adaptation projects in relation to the climate reality.
During a press conference held at the Harbour Front on April 27, Jean Michel Ng Tseung – MCB Group CEO – underlined the importance of a green economy. “The pandemic has confirmed the importance of the issues raised in the Success Beyond Numbers strategy, such as the need for a dynamic local economy and the reduction of our dependence on imports, the carbon neutrality of the territory as well as the way these issues are a source of innovation for Mauritian entrepreneurship.
The CEO of the MCB Group, also believes that it is necessary to act collectively: “This is the reason why the MCB Group is mobilizing, during this week, which we have called “Klima Week”, through a series of actions to raise awareness on climate change: Conferences with our customers, masterclasses with our employees, training of teachers and students in schools through the Deba klima, training of our Relationship Managers Throughout this week, we want to mobilize all stakeholders around the theme of Klima so that we can act quickly and with impact. We want to bring out projects aiming to participate in the country’s transition, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation, and we want to be the engine of the ecological transition for Mauritius.
Thus, on the sidelines of Klima Week, the MCB decided to double the amount of the credit line set up to support its clients in their transition efforts. Announced in February this year, this line of credit, the Sustainable Loan, which was Rs 5 billion, is now increased to Rs 10 billion.
To raise awareness about climate change among young people, MCB has launched the Deba Klima with the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre (RGSC). This initiative, which will start on May 30, is an inter-college debate competition in Kreol. It aims to encourage students to conduct research on a topic related to climate change and to debate it, in Kreol, in order to allow as many people as possible to understand the issues of climate change. 66 schools have registered across the island and the competition. The final will take place on June 29.
