At the recently finished 10th anniversary of the Marketing Edge brands and advertising excellence awards, which was held in Lagos, Africa’s global bank, the United Bank for Africa’s Foundation, was recognized as a pioneer in corporate social responsibility.
The UBA Foundation’s very effective projects, including the annual National Essay Competition, Read Africa, Each Teach One, and the Food Bank, among others, are cascaded across the African continent each year to reach more people.
Through its National Essay Competition which was initiated more than nine years ago, hundreds of African students have received grants to study at tertiary institutions in Africa and the ripple effects are being felt within their communities as more children get a chance to go to university.
Speaking on the leadership award bestowed upon the UBA Foundation, the CEO of the Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta said “there is a lot of work to be done across the African continent to improve lives and we are doing this one step at a time and in different countries across the geography where the United Bank for Africa operates. It is fundamental for people and organisations to give back. It is also very African to nurture one’s communities and uplift others around you. So we do what we do with a lot of passion and focus on developing and nurturing’.
Emphasising one of the key initiatives of the Foundation, the National Essay Competition, Atta thanked the organisers of the Marketing Edge award for excellence for the recognition saying “it is good to know we are doing it right and to be reminded that we must do even more. One of my favourite initiatives at the Foundation is the National Essay Competition because I have seen first – hand, how it changes lives. The award we are receiving is for all the children across Africa who are aspiring for a better life’
“With the start of a new academic year, the 2022 edition of the National Essay Competition has commenced and we are increasing the prizes by as much as 40%. The first prize winner will now receive an educational grant of N5 million to study at any African university of their choice, whilst the second and third prizes now stand at N3 million and N2.5 million respectively. This takes into consideration, the rising cost of living. We want our students to study well, worry free, so that they may excel’ she concluded.
Managing Director and Publisher of Marketing Edge, John Ajayi, commended the UBA Foundation for its strong footprint across Africa. “Through its Read Africa Initiative and the scholarship grants the Foundation has consistently done exceptionally well to transform the lives of many on the continent of Africa’. These initiatives are truly impactful he stated.
Ajayi, further said that the awards were borne out of the need to recognise outstanding Game Changers whose relentless support has helped give hope to Africa and at the same time, drive sustainable development. “These organisation clearly understand that agility, innovation, flexibility, decisiveness and commitment needed to accelerate the pace of change Africa craves for”.
The awards nights attracted dignitaries and Business leaders, from different industries across Nigeria.
“UBA Foundation embodies the UBA Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively on societies through several laudable projects and initiatives. The Foundation through its Education pillar has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture in African youths.”
Marketing Edge, Nigeria’s leading brands and marketing publication, has been at the vanguard of brand journalism in the last nineteen years. During this period, they have served as witness to the fortunes of players and gladiators in the integrated marketing communications industry and positioned the magazine as a valuable and veritable source of intelligence on the evolution, growth and development of the industry in Nigeria.
