Jane Goodall Institute founder, Dr Jane Goodall (L ) and Tanzania Portland Cement managing director Pascal Lesoinne (2nd-L) listen as the company’s environmental manager, Juliet Mboneko (R), gives a briefing at launch of TPCC quarry rehabilitation and restoration project at Wazo Hill on the outskirta of Dar es Salaam on Monday. The project is aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and raising public awareness on restoration and rehabilitation, biodiversity management, nature conservation and protection. (Photo: Guardian Correspondent)

The Tanzania Portland Cement Company (TPCC) on Monday planted thousands of trees to the previously mined land around its site at Wazo Hill, Tegeta on the outskirt of Dar es Salaam.

The event that brought together students from two neighbouring secondary schools - Maendeleo and Boko was graced by the renowned environmentalist, Dr Jane Goodall, the founder of Jane Goodall Institute (JGI).

The event was held at the firm’s Quarry Rehabilitation and Renaturation Project site at TPCC, which is also known as Twiga Cement.

Speaking at the event, the company’s Managing Director, Pascal Lesoinne said they invited students to the event so that they could get a chance to learn and understand the importance of environment and forest preservation.

“Madame Goodall has already done an appreciable work in the western part of Tanzania (Gombe National Park, along Lake Tanganyika) and now it is the time for her to do the same in the eastern part of the country,” Pascal said.

He said the TPCC mother company, Heidelberg Group, was now not only just good at producing cement, but it is also increasingly becoming better in quarry restoration and rehabilitation as part of its efforts to promote sustainable land use management.

The MD jokingly welcomed Madame Goodall by saying: “Unfortunately, we don’t have great apes at TPCC, but we do have monkeys, and a whole lot of other interesting little things. May you please join us in trees planting.”

For her part, Goodall was accompanied at the event with a handful of volunteers from Roots and Shoots Groups.

She told the students and staff who attended the event that to think on the magic of the first stages of the tree -- very small in size but then strives for sunlight and become so big.

“We plant because we want to help people, want to help animals and environment as well, and now it’s you (students) who have the time to change the world. Take the message away from here to your schools and your families,” she said.

Then the event visited tree beds and nurseries before planting trees at the quarry mined areas.