Through its Graduate Management Acceleration Program, United Bank for Africa Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, has trained and inducted 3,222 banking and finance professionals around the continent.
The lender said in a statement on Thursday that the GMAP program, which started three years ago, aims to give recent graduates the guidance, instruction, and practical experience they need to take on leadership positions at UBA.
An induction ceremony for a new group of 1,138 successful graduates who were hired by the bank after months of intense training that tested their commitment and fortitude was conducted in Lagos on Wednesday.
Read also: Antler VC expands to Nigeria, fueling startup innovation
The UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, Oliver Alawuba, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, and other board members, executive management, teachers, mentors, the graduates’ families, and friends were all in attendance.
In his remarks, Elumelu conveyed his delight about the recent graduates and emphasised the bank’s commitment to empowering African youth and closing the unemployment gap, which he said is still one of the continent’s biggest problems.
He said, “At UBA, we believe that Africa’s transformation is in the hands of young, dynamic, and ambitious professionals such as you. Through GMAP, we are not only shaping future leaders but also reinforcing our commitment to excellence and impact.”
“To our graduates, remember that success is built on hard work, resilience, and a commitment to continuous learning. The world is waiting for you to make your mark,” he added.
UBA’s commitment to human capital development
Alawuba also reaffirmed the bank’s continuous commitment to human capital development and expressed his enormous satisfaction with the graduates.
“This moment marks the beginning of a transformational journey that will shape your careers, your contributions to society, and Africa at large. The GMAP is a testament to our vision of empowering the brightest minds with the skills, knowledge, and mindset required to navigate the ever-evolving financial landscape,” Alawuba stated.
He emphasised UBA’s focus on gender diversity and inclusion, noting that 666 (or 58% of the 1,138 recent graduates) are women, demonstrating the bank’s commitment to creating a fair and welcoming work environment.
Alawuba urged the graduates to embrace the bank’s image of simplicity, responsiveness, and goal-orientedness while upholding UBA’s key values of quality, enterprise, and execution.
During the ceremony, GMAP alumni who have achieved notable success within the bank gave motivational testimony.
With 25,000 workers overall and more than 45 million clients worldwide, United Bank for Africa is one of the biggest employers in the financial industry on the African continent. It has operations in the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and 20 African nations.