As 700 Youths Join GMAP Initiative
Monrovia, Liberia – United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, has made a significant investment in the next generation of leaders who will propel the continent’s economic and financial transformation by hiring 700 young professionals through the Graduate Management Accelerated Program (GMAP).
At the graduation ceremony, which was held at Landmark Events Centre in Lagos on Sunday, October 19th, 2025, the bank celebrated graduates from Nigeria and across African countries where the bank operates.
UBA’s Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu; Deputy Group Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke, and other Board Members, Executive Management, faculty members, were on ground to receive the newly graduated professionals into the UBA Tribe.
More than 4,000 banking and financial professionals have graduated from the GMAP since it began more than three years ago. The program was created to give candidates the skills and knowledge they required to advance their careers while also giving them the training, mentorship, and practical experience they needed.
Elumelu, who called the graduates “lions and lionesses,” reaffirmed the bank’s dedication to developing the next wave of driven and capable leaders on the continent in his remarks.
“We are happy to have you as part of this tribe. At UBA, we strongly believe in the transformative power of young people, and that is why we designed this program that allows us to transfer the baton of knowledge and experience onto others. A few decades ago, I started out just like you fresh out of the university, and I am glad that this organization is providing for you that same opportunity that I got, and I look forward to seeing you guys prove your worth,” he said.
He emphasized that UBA’s job goes beyond profit and that it is also about being relevant to environmental issues and helping to spark economic growth for Africa by tying the graduates’ path to the bank’s overarching goal.
Speaking at the occasion on behalf of Group Managing Director Oliver Alawuba, Deputy Managing Director Chukwuma Nweke praised the graduates’ perseverance and restated the bank’s commitment to human capital development.
“This ceremony is a celebration of purpose, determination, and possibility. You are all more than simply recent graduates; you are the leaders, inventors, and representatives of a lasting heritage of our nation. Our conviction that skilled and brave leaders, like you, will determine Africa’s future is reflected in this program,” he remarked.
According to Nweke, the demanding six-month Graduate Management Accelerated Program (GMAP) includes fieldwork, digital simulations, classroom instruction, and senior executive mentoring. In addition to joining UBA’s family of more than 25,000 workers, the new cohorts were expected to take initiative, take charge of their careers, and lead the way in technological, customer experience, and sustainability development.
With 25,000 workers overall and more than 45 million clients worldwide, United Bank for Africa is one of the biggest employers in the financial industry on the African continent. UBA offers retail, commercial, and institutional banking services, promoting financial inclusion and utilizing state-of-the-art technology. The business operates in 20 African nations as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates.
Reported by: Prince Saah
