United Bank for Africa Plc has strengthened its commitment to addressing youth unemployment across Africa by successfully recruiting over 700 young professionals through its Graduate Management Acceleration Programme (GMAP).
Since inception, the bank’s GMAP initiative has empowered more than 5,000 young graduates across Africa, providing them with world-class training, hands-on experience, and a platform to thrive in the financial services industry.
when welcoming and addressing the new intake in Lagos, Tony Elumelu, Group Chairman of United Bank for Africa, stressed the importance of ambition, discipline, and pride in the institution, describing the moment as clear evidence that Africa’s future lies in the hands of its youth.
“I am delighted to see such vibrant, young faces. They say the future of Africa belongs to the youth, and looking at all of you, I see that becoming a reality. Welcome to the UBA Group, and congratulations on joining our family,” he said.
Elumelu challenged the graduates, to take personal ownership of their performance and to exhibit the discipline that distinguishes great institutions from average ones.
“Selecting the right people, training them, developing them, nurturing them, and getting them to align with the vision is not easy. But it is critical for sustained success. What we must do is institutionalise our approach, to build an organisation that can deliver and create systems that endure, so that perpetuity is achieved,” Elumelu said.
The milestone induction, which welcomed Cohorts 19 and 20 into the bank’s dynamic workforce, underscores the bank’s strategic focus on nurturing Africa’s next generation of high-performing talent equipped to drive innovation and sustainable growth.
Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, who went down memory lane, took the youth on his personal journey from a young professional to Group CEO, and reminded the graduates that the path from entry-level to leadership is not reserved for a privileged few.
“Our young Africans are equipped to drive Africa into excellence. Your current role is not your final destination. If we could rise, you can rise too, because the journey is not reserved for a special class of people. It is reserved for people who decide to grow and then do the work,” he said.
Oliver Alawuba grounded his remarks in United Bank for Africa’s corporate philosophy—the 3Es of Excellence, Enterprise, and Execution, alongside the SRG traits of Simplicity, Responsiveness, and Goal-orientation—urging each new hire to reflect these principles in their everyday actions.
With the latest cohort of 720 trainees—435 of them women, representing over 60% of the intake—the initiative underscores the bank’s strong commitment to empowering women.
