Accra, Ghana//-United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Pan African financial institution operating in 20 African countries and in the United Kingdom, the USA, France, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) today kickstarted the celebration of its 75th anniversary.
The celebrations of the year-long activities began with a Global Press Conference held at the UBA’s plush headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria, but streamed live across the bank’s subsidiaries.
African Eye Report was among the team of media houses invited by UBA Ghana to its boardroom in Accra to participate in the press conference.
The Africa’s global bank since its inception in 1949, according to its executives has made tremendous progress and touched several businesses across many sectors in different parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Setting the ball rolling, UBA”s Group DeputyManaging Director, Muyiwa Akinyemi said: “The anniversary is very dear to us here in UBA. It not only marked our legacy or signifies our transition journey from being a British and French Bank established in 1949 to becoming the leading financial services institution in Africa tagged Africa’s Global Bank”.
UBA today operates across four continents. With presence in 20 African countries- United Kingdom, the United States of America (USA), France, and United Arab Emirates (UAE)”
He added: “Over the past 75 years, we represented stability, reliability, and excellence in banking, achieving various milestones and positively impacting on the communities that we serve.
Our commitment to exceptional customer experience as well as financial strength and resilience over the years has been key to our success”.
Mr Akinyemi was quick to point out that the bank’s financial performance especially over the last couple of years showed a commitment to operational excellence.
He was sure that “anyone in this room will agree that UBA remains an attractive investment as it continues to deliver exceptional values to our shareholders.
At UBA, innovation and digital transformation are at the heart of what they do, and they remain committed to the growth of the bank for the betterment of all, Mr Akinyemi assured.
“While solidifying our position as Africa’s global bank, we are committed to offering value by enhancing the experience to our customers at every of our contact points.
As a forward-thinking institution, our intentional commitment to global sustainable practices, and corporate social responsibility, has made a significant impact across Africa through various initiatives we have in education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability”.
With these immaculate performances and significant impacts, Mr Akinyemi did not mince words than to say: “We look forward to another 75 years, 100 years of impacts to the global space, to our people, businesses, and communities where we serve.
Together we will continue to uphold our core values of excellence, enterprise and exhibition, driving sustainable growth and success”.
Milestone
On his part, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Plc, Oliver Alawuba supported by the bank’s executive management explained that the 75 anniversary, explained that milestone is not just a celebration of longevity, but a testament to resilience, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence that defines UBA journey over the years.
The seasoned banking executive acknowledged that UBA means different things to different people. In his words: “To some, UBA is the trusted financial partner. To others, UBA is the beckon of stability and reliability. A developmental partner in various communities across Africa as well as a catalyst for African development”.
Mr Alawuba noted that since UBA’s inception in 1949, it has evolved from a modest beginning in Lagos to a global financial institution.
Significant statistics
“Today, we have over 25 thousand staff, over 35 million customers served through multiple channels, over 350 thousand post-of-sale (P.O.S) trenails, over two thousand ATM cards, one thousand business offices, and close to 20 million card customers”, he revealed.
Mr Alawuba further indicated that the past 75 years of the bank have been marked by stability and excellence. So, UBA’s legacy stands tall.
Many firsts achieved by UBA
“UBA was the first bank in Nigeria to offer an initial public offering in 1970. UBA is the first bank in the banking system of Nigeria to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
UBA is the only bank in sub-Saharan Africa that has a deposit-taking licence in the United States of America. UBA is the first bank in Nigeria to install an AMT machine.
Because of our commitment to the youth, UBA is the first bank to open a campus branch in a university, that is the University of Lagos”.
He added: “UBA is the first bank in Nigeria to move beyond the shores of Nigeria to open a subsidiary in Africa, and that is UBA Ghana in 2005”.
Committed to women
“UBA is the first bank to have the first female chairperson in Nigeria. Mobile banking was first introduced in Nigeria by UBA, and recently we launched the first multilingual chat box banking, Leo in Nigeria. There are many of these firsts in the UBA Group, but time won’t permit me to mention all”, Mr Alawuba said.
Acknowledgements and appreciation
used parts of his speech to acknowledge and appreciate all the board of directors, management, and staff of UBA.
He also expressed appreciation to all the former board directors, former executives, and former management committee members, among others for their contributions to the bank.
Special recognition to Group Chairman
Mr Alawuba paid a glowing tribute to the Group Chairman of UBA, Tony Elumelu, saying: “Without his visionary push in 2005, and his tutelage of the years, I doubt whether we will be where we are today. For this and more, we say a big and sounding thank you to him”.
Customers
He also thanked all the over 30 million customers of UBA across the globe. “Your consistent support and patronage over the years have been amazing. You meet several people all the time and they will tell you; they are the third and fourth generations of UBA customers in their families.
Their grandparents and parents were customers of UBA, and their children currently carry ATM cards enrolling in our mobile banking platform, and Leo Chatbox. This is the story of UBA”.
