The ceremony, held in Lagos on Thursday, brought together graduates from Nigeria and seven other African countries where UBA operates, marking another milestone in the bank’s efforts to develop a new generation of banking professionals and future leaders.
The latest cohort comprises 223 women and 151 men. Of the 374 graduates, 345 were drawn from UBA Nigeria, while 29 came from the bank’s subsidiaries in Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire.
With the latest graduating class, GMAP has now produced more than 5,000 young professionals, equipping participants with technical knowledge, mentorship and hands-on experience designed to prepare them for careers in the financial services industry.
Elumelu: Service Will Set Banks Apart
UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, used the occasion to emphasise customer service as a critical competitive advantage as technology continues to make banking products increasingly similar across institutions.
Responding to a question about what would distinguish UBA from its competitors in an increasingly technology-driven banking industry, Elumelu said the ability to deliver superior service would remain difficult for competitors to replicate.
“Products can be commoditised, but service never can, because there is always a differentiator in how you serve and how you create,” Elumelu said.
He added that the widespread adoption of technology would make the quality of its application even more important.
“As everyone leverages technology, the differentiator becomes how that technology is used to make our customers happy,” he said.
Elumelu also expressed confidence in the young professionals joining the bank, describing them as part of the generation that would eventually take responsibility for UBA’s future.
“As future leaders of UBA, people like you give me confidence that if we hand over to your generation, UBA will be safe,” he said.
He encouraged the graduates to preserve their enthusiasm while building their careers around hard work, discipline and excellence.
 |
| Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu; Group Managing Director, UBA, Oliver Alawuba ; Executive Director, Finance and Risk Management, Ugo Nwaghodoh; flanked by members of Executive Management Committee of UBA Group and the graduands of the Cohort 21 of 2026 Graduate Management Accelerated Programme(GMAP), during the graduation of over 374 trainees from across Africa, in Lagos on Thursday. |
 |
| Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu; Group Managing Director, UBA, Oliver Alawuba ; Executive Director, Finance and Risk Management, Ugo Nwaghodoh; flanked by members of Executive Management Committee of UBA Group and the graduands from various African Countries during the graduation of Cohort 21 of 2026 Graduate Management Accelerated Programme(GMAP), in Lagos on Thursday |
 |
| Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu (7th left); Group Managing Director, UBA, Oliver Alawuba, (5th Left); Group Head, Human Resources, Modupe Akindele (3rd left) and Executive Director, Finance, Ugo Nwaghodoh , flanked by prize winners from the 2026 Graduate Management Accelerated Programme(GMAP) Cohort 21 Class of UBA Academy, during the graduation ceremony held for over 374 trainees from across Africa, in Lagos on Thursday. |
UBA Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, congratulated the new professionals and urged them to view their induction as the beginning of their responsibilities rather than the end of their training.
He described the certificates presented to the graduates as a commissioning into the workforce and challenged them to uphold UBA’s standards wherever they are assigned.
“You came from different countries, with different experiences and disciplines, but today you have graduated as one UBA family, united by one ambition, to build Africa’s future,” Alawuba said.
He urged the graduates not to allow their first assignments or locations to determine their level of commitment.
“Your first posting may not be your preferred destination, but make it your platform and give it your best. No assignment is too small to reveal a great attitude, and no role is too modest for excellence,” he said.
Alawuba further challenged the new employees to learn faster than the business environment changes, protect the trust placed in them and translate their potential into measurable performance.
He linked the expectations to UBA’s core values of excellence, enterprise and execution, urging the graduates to make those principles part of their professional conduct.
Building Africa’s Next Generation of Bankers
The Graduate Management Accelerator Programme serves as UBA’s structured entry route for young graduates seeking careers within the banking group.
The programme combines classroom and practical learning, exposing participants to areas including technical banking, product development, trade finance and customer experience. It also provides mentorship and hands-on exposure intended to accelerate participants’ transition from academic or early-career environments into professional banking.
The geographic diversity of Cohort 21 reflects UBA’s wider pan-African footprint, with participants drawn from operations across eight countries.
The bank said the programme remains an important part of its broader talent-development strategy, particularly as financial services become increasingly shaped by technology, changing customer expectations and competition for skilled professionals.
For the 374 new inductees, the completion of the programme therefore represents not simply the conclusion of structured training, but the beginning of their responsibilities as members of one of Africa’s largest banking groups.
With more than 5,000 professionals now having passed through GMAP, UBA is positioning the initiative as a continuing pipeline for talent capable of supporting its expansion and contributing to the development of Africa’s financial services sector.