UBA converts 300+ staff

United Bank for Africa said more than 300 contract staff have been moved into full-time jobs through its graduate training pipeline. (theguardian.ng) The announcement came at a Lagos graduation ceremony on April 9 for 720 trainees in Cohorts 19 and 20 of the bank’s Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, or GMAP. UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu said the bank would keep expanding those conversions from outsourced roles into permanent employment. (punchng.com) (theguardian.ng) UBA Chief Executive Officer Oliver Alawuba said Cohort 19 included 306 young professionals from several African countries and Cohort 20 included 414 Nigerians. He said the programme has produced more than 3,900 graduates from earlier cohorts, with more trainees still in the pipeline. (theguardian.ng) GMAP is UBA’s in-house graduate scheme: recruits go through months of training, testing and work experience before being absorbed into the bank. UBA said in March 2025 that the programme had produced more than 3,222 young professionals in its first three years, including 1,138 graduates inducted that month. (ubagroup.com) This year’s class was smaller than the 1,138 inducted in March 2025, but UBA paired the 720 new hires with a separate message about converting existing contract workers. That shifts the programme from being only an entry route for fresh graduates to also being a path into permanent roles for people already working inside the bank. (ubagroup.com) (theguardian.ng) Elumelu also used the event to argue that employers should spot leaders earlier. He said undergraduates should be given chances to lead before graduation so they arrive at work with stronger discipline, execution skills and confidence. (punchng.com) The bank framed the programme as part of a wider hiring and leadership strategy across Africa. UBA says it operates in 20 African countries, along with business hubs in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the United Arab Emirates. (ubagroup.com) (ubaamerica.com) At the same April 9 ceremony, UBA said the 720 trainees were selected from more than 180,000 applicants. That scale helps explain why the bank is presenting permanent conversion as a reward for staff who had already proved themselves on contract. (punchng.com) (theguardian.ng) For UBA, the message was straightforward: graduate recruitment, internal training and contract-to-permanent conversion are now being presented as one talent pipeline. Elumelu told staff at the ceremony that “in the fullness of time, it has happened,” after earlier complaints from some outsourced workers waiting for permanent roles. (theguardian.ng)