United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has graduated and inducted 374 young professionals into its workforce following the completion of the 21st cohort of its Graduate Management Accelerator Programme (GMAP).
The bank said in a statement that the graduates were drawn from Nigeria and seven other African countries where UBA operates.
The cohort comprises 223 women and 151 men, with 345 graduates from UBA Nigeria and 29 from subsidiaries in Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Ivory Coast.
The GMAP is UBA’s flagship talent development programme and serves as a structured entry pathway for young graduates seeking careers in the banking sector.
The programme combines technical banking knowledge with practical training in areas including product design, trade finance and customer experience.
With the graduation of the latest cohort, UBA said more than 5,000 young professionals had now completed the programme, gaining mentorship, training and hands-on experience to support their career development.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Lagos on Thursday, Tony Elumelu, UBA group chairman, urged the new employees to prioritise customer service as the bank’s key competitive advantage as technology continues to reshape the banking industry.
Elumelu said technological advancement would increasingly make banking products similar across institutions, making the quality of service a major differentiator.
“Products can be commoditised, but service never can, because there is always a differentiator in how you serve and how you create,” he said.
He added that how employees deploy technology to improve customers’ experiences would determine the bank’s ability to remain competitive.
“As future leaders of UBA, people like you give me confidence that if we hand over to your generation, UBA will be safe,” Elumelu said.
He also urged the graduates to sustain their passion while embracing hard work, discipline and excellence throughout their careers.
Oliver Alawuba, UBA group managing director and chief executive officer, described the graduates’ certificates as a commissioning rather than an end to their development.
Alawuba urged the new employees to uphold the bank’s standards regardless of their postings or assignments.
“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,” he said.
He encouraged the graduates to approach every assignment with commitment, regardless of whether it was their preferred posting.
“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 said.
Alawuba further charged the young professionals to continually develop their skills, protect the trust placed in them and translate their potential into measurable performance.
He linked these expectations to UBA’s core values of excellence, enterprise and execution.
UBA said GMAP would continue to serve as part of its strategy for developing a skilled workforce and preparing young professionals for leadership roles across its African operations.
