Environmental activists are objecting to Standard Bank’s funding of fossil fuel projects. Photo: iStock
Standard
Bank Group Ltd., which is Africa’s biggest bank by assets, faces opposition
from environmental activists to its plan to fund an oil pipeline in East
Africa. International group of climate activists that opposes the use of fossil
fuels, 350.org will on Thursday hand over a petition signed by more than 20 000
people to the bank’s headquarters in Johannesburg, according to a statement.
The East African Crude Oil
Pipeline is “set to traverse Uganda and Tanzania, causing potentially
irreversible damage to farmlands and wetlands,” 350.org said in the
statement. Thirty million people in six nations will be affected, it said.
Uganda discovered commercially
viable oil deposits in 2006 and plans to start production in 2023-24. Total SA
and Cnooc Ltd. of China own fields in the country.
“Standard Bank is committed
to doing business the right way,” the bank said in a response to
questions. “We support responsible investment through assessing and
managing our environmental, social and governance risks.”
The funding of fossil fuels is
also expected to take centre stage at Standard Bank’s AGM which is set to take
place on Friday, 26 June. According to shareholder activist group, Just Share,
it and 14 other climate justice NGOs want shareholders to vote
against the election of five of Standard Bank board directors who have ties
with coal, oil and gas companies including Sasol, BP Southern Africa,
South32 and Engen.
Just Share said seven of Standard
Bank’s board members have ties to the fossil fuel industry. But the five
that the organisation wants to step down, which include deputy chairman and
former CEO of the Standard bank Group, Jacko Maree drew the ire
of climate justice and environmental NGOs because they are currently
serving in boards of companies producing coal, oil and other fossil fuels.
With additional reporting
from Londiwe Buthelezi
