UBA strengthens Africa’s future leadership pipeline, graduates 374 young professionals

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has graduated and inducted 374 young professionals into its workforce, marking the completion of Cohort 21 of its Graduate Management Accelerator Programme (GMAP), the Bank’s flagship talent development scheme.

The ceremony, which was held at Landmark Events Centre in Lagos on Thursday, 20 August, 2025, celebrated graduates from Nigeria and across African countries where the bank operates.

The GMAP programme is designed to equip young professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate and succeed in the banking sector, and has now graduated more than 5,000 young professionals, providing them with the mentorship, training and hands-on experience needed to boost their careers.

The cohort, made up of 223 women and 151 men, was drawn from UBA operations across eight African countries, with 345 graduates from UBA Nigeria and 29 from subsidiaries in Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire.

UBA’s Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, who welcomed the graduates, took the opportunity to reinforce customer service as the Bank’s defining edge. Responding to a question on what would set UBA apart as technology makes banking products increasingly similar, he pointed to service as the one advantage competitors cannot copy.

“Products can be commoditised, but service never can, because there is always a differentiator in how you serve and how you create,” Elumelu said. “As everyone leverages technology, the differentiator becomes how that technology is used to make our customers happy.”

Continuing, Elumelu said, “As future leaders of UBA, people like you give me confidence that if we hand over to your generation, UBA will be safe. He also encouraged the cohort to protect their passion and pursue hard work, discipline and excellence throughout their careers.

UBA’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, who took time to congratulate the new intakes, described the certificate they received as a commissioning rather than a conclusion, and urged them to carry the Bank’s standards into every posting.

“You came from different countries, with different experiences and disciplines, but today you have graduated as one UBA family, united by one ambition, to build Africa’s future,” Alawuba said. “Your first posting may not be your preferred destination, but make it your platform and give it your best. No assignment is too small to reveal a great attitude, and no role is too modest for excellence.”

He charged them to learn faster than the world changes, to treat trust as their most valuable asset, and to convert potential into performance, linking each to the Bank’s core values of excellence, enterprise and execution.

The Graduate Management Accelerator Programme is UBA’s structured entry pathway for young graduates, combining technical banking knowledge with practical training in areas such as product design, trade finance and customer experience. The programme forms part of a broader commitment to talent development across the Group, preparing a new generation of bankers to lead the institution and contribute to Africa’s growth.

United Bank for Africa is one of Africa’s largest financial institutions, with more than 45 million customers globally. Operating in 20 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services while championing financial inclusion through innovative technology and customer-focused solutions.