“Our Vision Is To Be The Role Model For African Biznesses” –  GCEO Alawuba Reveals As UBA Celebrates 75yrs

The Group Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba says “the vision is to be the role model for African Businesses” as the pan-African financial services group providing corporate, commercial, SME, and consumer banking services to more than 35 million customers – United Bank for Africa (UBA) – celebrates its 75th anniversary.

“Looking ahead, our vision is clear – to be the role model for African Businesses.UBA is one bank, uniting Africa while connecting Africans to the World and the World to Africa. Our primary focus is to be the payment bank for Capital flows, trade and investments between Africa and the rest of the world”, Alawuba appointed Group Managing Director on August 1, 2022, declared at the global media engagement to kick off the activities in celebration of the milestone – with November 2024 as the wrap-up date.

The media engagement was held on Monday, May 20, 2024, at Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre, the space fittingly named after the master entrepreneur who remains pivotal in transforming the financial service group into a formidable entity that boosts over a trillion naira market capitalization inside its corporate headquarters in Lagos – Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu.

The champion of entrepreneurship in Africa directly through the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy that has not only groomed over 20, 000 young entrepreneurs across Africa but created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributing significantly to Africa’s economic growth was not at the event but Alawuba gave him his flowers in absentia.

“Our Group Chairman (Mr. Tony Elumelu, CFR) truly deserves special recognition and mention. Without his visionary push in 2005 and tutelage over the years, I doubt whether we would be where we are today. For these and more, we say a big and resounding thank you to him.” the Chief Executive of Officer of the financial service group operating in 20 countries across Africa, the United Kingdom, France, and the UAE asserted while also highlighting the contributions of former Chairmen of Group and Subsidiary Boards, Board Members, Group and Subsidiary Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers s, and staff in various capacities over the years and efforts of the present Board of Directors, Executive Management and staff across subsidiaries.

In 2005, Tony Elumelu championed a historic merger in the banking world of sub-Saharan Africa when Standard Trust Bank merged with UBA – after he transformed ailing Crystal Bank into a very profitable Standard Trust Bank.

United Bank for Africa has not looked back since then going on to record many firsts, including the ones identified by Alawuba on Monday such as the first Nigerian bank to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the first Nigerian bank to open a branch in the United States of America and London, introduced Leo, the first multi-lingual chatbot in Nigeria, a pioneer in introducing mobile banking in Nigeria and launch of the most successful Prepaid Cards across Africa.

Emphasizing ” UBA’s commitment to Customer First Philosophy” which he described as the financial service group’s “primary business strategy”, Alawuba insisted that ” the customer is our employer and the sole reason why we come to work” – and went on to pledge “Our three (3) key pillars of service (People, Process and Technology) are all geared towards the delivery of excellent customer experience, which is our promise”.

The Group Chief Executive Officer gave a telling insight into how UBA intends to keep the promise of “excellent customer experience” with the revelation that “Innovation and digital transformation are at the heart of UBA’s strategy for future growth and competitiveness. We will continue to invest in innovative products, services, and digital platforms that enhance customer experience and drive operational efficiency. 

“Our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility is strong, with initiatives focused on education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability; thus, making a concrete impact on communities across Africa.”

 With 25,000 Staff, United Bank for Africa boasts of over 35 million customers being cared for across multiple channels not limited to more than  350,000 POS terminals, 2,000 ATM terminals, 1,000 Business Offices, and 19.7 million Card Customers.