Chairman of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, on Thursday addressed 720 graduate trainees drawn from Cohorts 19 and 20 of the bank’s Graduate Management Acceleration Programme (GMAP) from across Africa.
Speaking during the engagement, Elumelu said the programme had continued to strengthen the capacity of young banking and finance professionals across the continent since its launch in 2022.
According to him, more than 3,900 young professionals have so far been trained through the UBA Management Trainee Programme.
A major highlight of the event, he noted, was the discovery that 300 of the trainees had previously worked within the UBA ecosystem as contract staff and had now been converted to full-time employees of the bank.
Elumelu commended the Group Managing Director of UBA, Oliver Alawuba, and the bank’s Human Resources Director, Modupe Akindele, for making the transition possible.
He described the development as an important step in helping young Africans realise their career ambitions.
“It is enlightened self-interest to create the right environment for young Africans to thrive,” Elumelu said.
He stated that UBA’s investment in the Graduate Management Programme reflects its commitment to empowering the next generation of African professionals.
According to him, failing to provide employment opportunities for young people amounts to “a betrayal of a generation.”
Elumelu praised the new employees for their resilience and dedication, noting that they had remained committed to the bank, served customers diligently, and upheld the institution’s values.
“These young men and women chose UBA, showed up consistently, served our customers with dedication, upheld our culture with integrity, and remained resilient. In the fullness of time, it has come good,” he said.
He formally welcomed the trainees into the UBA family, expressing confidence that they would contribute meaningfully to the bank’s growth across Africa.
