UBA pledges commitment to education
The United Bank for Africa Plc has reinstated the firm’s commitment to education initiatives such as the National Essay Competition (NEC) to empower youngsters intellectually.
Kennedy Uzoka, the chief executive officer at UBA made this known at the 14 edition of the annual essay competition held in Lagos recently, when he said that the bank wants to change the world through education.
“UBA wants to change the world, and the only way that we can change the world is through education. And that is why the UBA Foundation’s main anchor is education. Get people educated, and they will change the world,” he said.
Uzoka explained that the firm has begun a process to ensure that all other African countries where UBA exists to benefit from the educational programmes of the bank such as the national essay competition.
“We have already escalated this programme to other countries. We will continue to do that because we believe that we must change the world.
The future of the world is in Africa. The future of Africa is in Nigeria. Indeed, the future of Nigeria is in UBA, and you are the people that will make the change,” he said.
Similarly, Oliver Alawuba, the UBA’s group managing director stressed that the bank is committed to promoting education across the African continent, inspiring and empowering young people for the future is evidenced in the UBA Foundation’s essay competition and other initiatives.
“At the UBA Foundation, education has always been our cornerstone. We believe that knowledge is the most powerful catalyst for transformative change. By investing in education, we are not just teaching – we are empowering individuals to become architects of their futures and catalysts for broader societal progress,” he said.
Bola Atta, the chief executive officer at UBA Foundation explained that the foundation aims to rekindle the dwindling reading culture amongst African youths through the NEC and other initiatives of the organisation.
“Our children no longer read; their passion for reading informative and educative books is fast eroding and this is part of the ills we want to correct in the continent’s educational sector.
“UBA Foundation is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which the bank operates, focusing on development in the areas of environment, education, economic empowerment and special projects,” she explained.
The 2024 National Essay Competition had 20 winners at the finals stage with a total of N16 million in scholarship grants to the three best students. Isimah Tehilah, who emerged as the overall best got N7.5 million, Obinna-chukwu Christabel, the second best received N5 million, while Essien Greatness, the third best got N3 million in scholarship grants.
