UBA inducts 374 young graduates, GMAP total tops 5,000

United Bank for Africa (UBA) has inducted 374 young professionals from its Graduate Management Accelerator Programme (GMAP), raising the total number of graduates to more than 5,000. The new cohort draws participants from eight African countries, with women making up the majority.

Breakdown of the cohort

The latest set includes 223 women and 151 men. A total of 345 graduates come from UBA's Nigerian operations, while 29 participants are from Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Côte d'Ivoire. The figures were reported by Daily Sun.

What GMAP offers

UBA said GMAP gives young professionals the technical knowledge, practical exposure and professional experience required for successful banking careers. The programme combines mentorship, classroom learning and hands-on training. Areas covered include product design, trade finance and customer experience. Participants also learn the values and expectations needed to operate in a fast-changing financial sector.

Leaders speak

Tony Elumelu, UBA Group Chairman, told the graduates that the bank's future depends on their generation. He urged them to maintain their passion while embracing hard work, discipline and excellence. He also highlighted customer service as a key competitive advantage, noting that banking products are becoming increasingly similar across institutions. According to him, how they serve customers could ultimately be as important as the products they offer.

Oliver Alawuba, UBA Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, described the graduates' certificates as a commission rather than an endpoint. He said participants arrived from different countries, backgrounds and academic disciplines, but leave as one UBA family. He challenged them to approach every posting as an opportunity to demonstrate excellence, even in roles they may not initially prefer. He also urged them to learn faster than the world changes, protect their integrity and turn their potential into measurable performance.

Leadership transition ahead

Legit.ng earlier reported that Elumelu will step down as Group Chairman after a 15-year tenure. UBA announced on Monday, July 6, 2026, that his retirement takes effect on August 21, 2026, following the mandatory tenure limit for non-executive directors as stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.