Full List: UBA Releases Names of 374 Successful Young Professionals After Explosive Training
- UBA has inducted 374 graduates from its accelerator programme from eight African countries
- The latest cohort brings the total number of professionals who have completed UBA's GMAP to more than 5,000
- UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu addressed the graduates, telling them the bank's future depends on their generation
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Pascal Oparada is a journalist with Legit.ng, covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has announced the graduation and induction of 374 young professionals from its Graduate Management Accelerator Programme (GMAP), marking another major milestone in the bank’s efforts to develop future banking leaders across Africa.
The latest cohort comprises 223 women and 151 men, reflecting a strong female representation among the young professionals selected for the programme.
Source: Facebook
Of the 374 graduates, 345 are from UBA’s Nigerian operations, while the remaining 29 participants are drawn from the bank’s businesses in Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire, Daily Sun reported.
The latest graduation takes the total number of young professionals who have completed GMAP to more than 5,000, according to the bank.
Training built around real banking experience
UBA said GMAP is designed to give young professionals the technical knowledge, practical exposure and professional experience required to build successful careers in banking.
The programme combines mentorship, classroom learning and hands-on training, covering areas such as product design, trade finance and customer experience.
Beyond technical banking skills, participants are also exposed to the values and expectations required to operate in a fast-changing financial sector.
The bank said the programme forms part of its broader commitment to developing a strong talent pipeline capable of supporting Africa’s economic growth.
Elumelu charges graduates on excellence
Tony Elumelu, UBA Group Chairman, told the graduates that developing the next generation of professionals would be crucial to the bank’s long-term success, according to a report by TheCable.
He urged them to maintain their passion while embracing hard work, discipline and excellence throughout their careers.
Elumelu also highlighted customer service as an increasingly important competitive advantage in banking, particularly as technology makes financial products more similar across institutions.
According to him, while banking products can become increasingly standardised, the quality of service remains a major way for institutions to distinguish themselves.
He encouraged the new professionals to understand that how they serve customers could ultimately be as important as the products they offer.
Alawuba: Graduation is only the beginning
Oliver Alawuba, UBA Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, described the graduates’ certificates as a commission rather than an endpoint.
He said the participants had arrived from different countries, backgrounds and academic disciplines but were leaving the programme as members of one UBA family with a shared ambition to contribute to Africa’s future.
Source: UGC
Alawuba challenged them to approach every posting as an opportunity to demonstrate excellence, even when assigned to roles they may not initially prefer.
He further urged the young professionals to learn faster than the world changes, protect their integrity and turn their potential into measurable performance.
With the latest cohort joining UBA’s growing pool of trained professionals, the bank is positioning GMAP as a key channel for preparing a new generation of African bankers for the demands of an evolving financial industry.
Tony Elumelu retires from UBA
Legit.ng earlier reported that one of Nigeria's most influential business leaders, Tony Elumelu, will step down as Group Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), bringing an end to a remarkable 15-year tenure that transformed the lender into one of Africa's leading financial institutions.
UBA announced on Monday, July 6, 2026, that Elumelu's retirement will take effect on August 21, 2026, following the completion of the mandatory tenure for non-executive directors as stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), according to a report by Punch.
Source: Legit.ng
