UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced that the winners of the 2025 edition of the annual National Essay Competition (NEC) will receive educational grants worth over N22.5 million to study at any African university of their choice.

This year, the first-prize winner will receive N10 million university grant, which represents a substantial 33% increase up from the N7.5 million awarded last year. The second and third-place winners will each receive N7.5 million and N5 million educational grants, respectively, up from the N5 million and N3.5 million awarded last year.

Apart from the cash prizes, the writers of the 12 best essays will go home with brand-new laptops and other educational tools to help them prepare towards their tertiary research work and other studies.

The NEC is part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative, which is aimed at promoting literacy and encouraging healthy intellectual competition amongst senior secondary school students in Nigeria and across the African continent.

The students are required to research on and write on the essay topic: “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”

The Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, who spoke on the opportunities the competition offers to students, emphasised why the foundation has continues to invest in the initiative.

“The deliberate and significant increase in the value of these educational grants underscores our dedication to investing in academic excellence and alleviating the financial burden of higher education for Nigerian students and their families. We are confident that this will further inspire a culture of academic achievement and critical thinking,” she explained.

According to her, “UBA Foundation remains deeply committed to creating impactful opportunities for the youth, who are the future of our continent”

To be eligible, participants must be Nigerian students in senior secondary school and are required to submit scanned copies of their handwritten essays (not more than 750 words), a recent passport photograph, and a copy of their birth certificate, National ID, or international passport via the dedicated portal on the UBA Foundation’s official website.

The deadline for submission of entries is Friday, October 17th, 2025, and applications can be accessed and submitted through the Foundation’s official website ubagroup.com/uba-foundation/national-essay-competition/, or by scanning the QR code available on the posters and websites.

UBA Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa Plc, charged with the mission to improve the socio-economic development of communities across the African continent. The Foundation’s activities focus on development-driven interventions in the areas of Education, Environment, and Economic Empowerment and special projects.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Kolawole, has said that a service culture built on responsiveness and innovation will differentiate the impact that customer service can make in any organisation.

Making the remarks at the flag off of the Customer Service Week 2025 in Unity Bank, Mr. Kolawole stated that “apart from constantly improving the way in which better customer support can be achieved, the increasing sophistication of our customers have made the Bank to also begin to focus more on customer experience innovation with investment being made in technology, systems, and people which enable us redefine our customer journey altogether”.

While extolling the Bank for always rising to any occasion, the Managing Director celebrated the resilient frontline staff for their unwavering dedication and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to delivering exceptional customer service across all touch points, stating that this year’s celebration, themed “Mission: Possible,” underscores the Bank’s unwavering belief that every customer needs can be met through innovation, teamwork, and with service culture.

“The Bank’s customer service teams are well acclaimed for their passion, professionalism, and resilience in fulfilling the institution’s mission to provide exceptional service to its growing customer base”, the Unity Bank MD further stated.

In further acknowledgement, Mr. Kolawole stated: “At Unity Bank, our mission is clear — to make banking simple, accessible, and rewarding for every customer. ‘Mission Possible’ captures the spirit with which we approach every challenge and opportunity to serve; whether through our digital platforms, branch interactions, or customer support channels”.

Additionally, the Bank’s Chief Customer Service Officer, Elfrida Igebu, emphasised the significance of recognising and celebrating staff who consistently go above and beyond to serve customers.

“This year’s theme reminds us that what may seem challenging is always achievable with the right attitude, teamwork, and customer-first mindset. Our frontline teams embody this every day by demonstrating that at Unity Bank, service excellence is not just a goal, it is our mission,” Igebu said.

Throughout the week, Unity Bank organised activities across its branches and offices nationwide to reflect the Customer Service Week 2025, from customer appreciation engagements, Award of recognition for Staff, setting up festive ambience and decor, flamboyant service and cultural costumes donned by members to digital media activations.

In time past, Unity Bank was among the first financial institutions to introduce a multilingual USSD platform, *7799#, and from then onwards, the Bank continues to upgrade features of its mobile banking platform, Unifi app, for optimisation, reinforcing customer experience innovation and convenience.

Tier one Lender, Fidelity Bank Plc, has announced its readiness to begin the disbursement of funds under the National Credit Guarantee Company (NCGC) N5 billion Credit Intervention Scheme. The initiative is designed to expand access to finance for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), as well as businesses owned by women and youths across Nigeria.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the bank and NCGC.

According to Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe, the partnership with NCGC represents a significant step in the bank’s ongoing efforts to enhance financial inclusion and stimulate economic growth through increased access to credit. “This guarantee will enable us to further expand financing opportunities for those who need it most, while strengthening our capacity to support businesses across key sectors of the Nigerian economy,” she said.

The facility will cover critical sectors including food processing, secondary agriculture (such as fish and poultry processing), fashion, green energy, light manufacturing, the agricultural value chain (feed mills and equipment fabrication), export-oriented businesses, and education.

Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe highlighted that Fidelity Bank has consistently supported diverse sectors through targeted initiatives such as the Green Energy Financing Programme for renewable energy entrepreneurs, the Fidelity SME Hub for small businesses with a special arm – Creativerse, dedicated to the creative industry and the Fidelity Bank Education Support Scheme which provides affordable financing for educational infrastructure and technology upgrades.

“With the backing of the NCGC credit guarantee, we can now extend financing to businesses that have traditionally been excluded from formal credit systems—without compromising our risk standards or operational efficiency,” she added. “While we have supported MSMEs with short-term facilities in the past, this partnership allows us to provide long-term credit facilities that empower businesses to expand sustainably.”

Over the past five years, Fidelity Bank has disbursed over N500 billion in loans to MSMEs, empowering thousands of entrepreneurs and creating sustainable livelihoods.

Also speaking at the event, Managing Director of NCGC, Mr. Bonaventure Okhaimo, emphasized that the organization was established to bridge the financing gap faced by MSMEs in Nigeria by mitigating lender risks through credit guarantees.

“Although MSMEs are key contributors to Nigeria’s economic development, many of them struggle to secure funding from financial institutions due to perceived high risks,” he said. “Through the credit guarantee scheme, NCGC shares this risk with banks, making it easier for MSMEs to access much-needed capital.”

Mr. Okhaimo added that NCGC and Fidelity Bank will also collaborate to provide financial literacy and business management training to MSME beneficiaries, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to effectively manage their loans and achieve sustainable growth.

The Fidelity Bank–NCGC partnership reinforces both institutions shared commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, strengthening MSMEs, and driving inclusive economic development across Nigeria.

Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 9.1 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The Bank is a recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine. Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.