United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has reinforced its commitment towards tackling youth unemployment across the continent with the employment of over 700 young professionals under its Graduate Management Acceleration Programme (GMAP).
The graduation ceremony, which was held held at the Landmark Events Centre in Lagos on Thursday, April 9, 2026, was graced by esteemed guests, led by the UBA’s top management, faculty members, mentors, and the graduating class.
While welcoming and addressing the fresh intake, UBA’s Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, reiterated the importance of ambition, discipline, and institutional pride, describing the gathering as living proof that Africa’s future belongs to its youth.
“I am so happy to see smiling, young faces. You know, they say the future of Africa belongs to our youth, and as I see all of you, I see that in action. Welcome to UBA Group. Congratulations on being part of our family,” he stated.
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.
UBA said the 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.
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The Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, 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.
Alawuba anchored his address in UBA’s corporate ethos, the 3Es of Excellence, Enterprise, and Execution, and the SRG persona of Simplicity, Responsiveness, and Goal-orientation, charging each new hire to make these values visible in their daily conduct
“With the new cohort of 720 trainees, 435 of whom are women and account for over 60% of the intake, this stands as a powerful testament to the bank’s unwavering commitment towards women’s empowerment,” he said.
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.
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