Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has deepened its longstanding relationship with the academic community and reaffirmed its commitment to innovation, youth empowerment, and nation-building by commissioning the UBA Innovation Hub and Business Office at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

The landmark facility was commissioned by the Group Chairman, UBA, Tony Elumelu, represented by Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, supported by other senior executives of the bank and members of the university leadership, led by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.

The commissioning marks another defining chapter in the enduring relationship between UBA and one of Nigeria’s foremost institutions of higher learning. The project also reflects UBA’s historic connection with the University of Lagos and Nigeria’s education ecosystem. 

UBA was the first bank to establish a campus branch in Nigeria in the 1960s, pioneering financial inclusion and institutional banking support within the nation’s higher education environment.

Adding a personal dimension to the occasion, UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, himself an alumnus of the University of Lagos, described the commissioning as both symbolic and strategic.

“Returning to my alma mater for this commissioning makes this moment particularly meaningful. Universities remain the birthplace of ideas, innovation, and future leadership. Through this investment, UBA is reaffirming its belief in young people and in the role institutions like the University of Lagos will continue to play in shaping Africa’s future.”

He added that UBA’s philosophy of empowering people and building institutions remains central to its growth agenda across Africa.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, who emphasised that Elumelu remains “a son of the university”, commended UBA for sustaining a relationship built on impact, innovation, and institutional support.

“The Group Chairman of UBA, Mr Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, CFR, one of Africa’s most celebrated entrepreneurs and philanthropists, is, in the truest and most meaningful sense, a son of this University,” Ogunsola said.

Ogunsola continued, “The intellectual rigour, the ambition, and the broadness of vision that he would go on to demonstrate as he transformed a struggling bank into a pan-African institution of global stature, that fire was sharpened here.”

The newly commissioned four-floor complex has been designed as a shared platform that promotes collaboration between academia and industry. Under the arrangement, UBA will operate its dedicated Business Office within the facility, providing direct access to innovative banking services, financial advisory services, enterprise support, and engagement opportunities for students, faculty, and the wider university community. The remaining floors of the complex will serve broader institutional and developmental purposes for the University’s use.

Also speaking, UBA’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, noted that the Innovation Hub and Business Office represent an intentional investment in talent, enterprise, and future economic transformation.

“UBA continues to create platforms that connect knowledge with opportunity. This facility will provide students and the university community access to ideas, networks, innovation support, and financial services that help unlock potential and prepare future leaders for a rapidly changing world,” he said.

In another major highlight of the event, the University of Lagos announced the renewal of UBA’s sponsorship and support for the Professorial Chair in Finance, further strengthening collaboration between academia and industry and advancing thought leadership, research, and professional excellence in financial studies.

Alawuba stressed that the UBA Professorial Chair remains the bank’s most enduring academic contribution.

“Our most enduring academic contribution remains the UBA Professorial Chair of Finance, established in January 1972 as the first-ever Finance Professorial Chair in a Nigerian university. It was designed to strengthen finance education, deepen banking research, and support thought leadership in Nigeria’s financial sector. I am pleased that the Executive Management of UBA has approved an additional ₦61.67 million to further strengthen the Endowment Fund for the Chair and sustain its work through the current professorship tenure.”

The commissioning of the UBA Innovation Hub and Business Office reinforces the bank’s broader mission of enabling sustainable development through strategic investments in education, entrepreneurship, technology, and human capital across Africa.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group-wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.

Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola and Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Oliver Alawuba, during  the presentation of N60m endowment fund towards  research  and development in Finance at the commissioning of  UBA Innovation  Hub and Business Office built by UBA Group at a ceremony held at the University’s campus in Akoka, Lagos  on Monday

L-r: Acting Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Chidi Okpala; Registrar and Secretary to Council, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Abosede V, Wickliffe ; Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA, Oliver Alawuba; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola; and Group Deputy Managing Director, UBA, Chukwuma Nweke, during  the presentation of N60m endowment fund towards  research  and development in Finance at the commissioning of  UBA Innovation  Hub and Business Office built by UBA Group at a ceremony held at the University’s campus in Akoka, Lagos  on Monday

l-r: Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, University of Lagos(UNILAG), Professor Muyiwa Falaiye;  Group Deputy Managing Director, UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA(UBA), Chukwuma Nweke; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola; Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA, Oliver Alawuba; Registrar and Secretary to Council, UNILAG, Abosede V, Wickliffe; Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, UBA, Chidi Okpala;  and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics and Research, Professor Mattew Ilori, during  the presentation of N60m endowment fund towards  research  and development in Finance at the commissioning of  UBA Innovation  Hub and Business Office built by UBA Group at a ceremony held at the University’s campus in Akoka, Lagos  on Monday

L-r: Occupier of UBA Professorial Chair in Finance, University of Lagos(UNILAG), Professor Lawal Adedoyin ; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Oliver Alawuba; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola; and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) UBA Professorial Chair in Finance, UNILAG, professor Isola Wakeel, during  the presentation of N60m endowment fund towards  research  and development in Finance at the commissioning of  UBA Innovation  Hub and Business Office built by UBA Group at a ceremony held at the University’s campus in Akoka, Lagos  on Monday

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening diaspora engagement, advancing healthcare development in Nigeria through the introduction of its healthcare investment proposition to the Nigerian-American medical community at the 2026 ANPA Carolinas Symposium held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The ANPA Carolinas Symposium, hosted annually by the South Carolina and North Carolina Chapters of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), convenes over 170 physicians and healthcare professionals for medical and scientific dialogue on issues impacting communities across North America, the Caribbean, and Africa, particularly among people of Nigerian descent.

Speaking at the event, UBA’s Head of Diaspora Banking, Anant Rao, made a compelling case for structured diaspora participation in Nigeria’s healthcare transformation, encouraging attendees to expand their contribution beyond remittances toward long-term institution-building.

“The financial infrastructure required to connect your success abroad to sustainable institutional impact at home has not been intentionally designed for diaspora healthcare investors until now,” Rao said.

During his presentation, Rao introduced the ANPA–UBA Diaspora Healthcare Investment Platform — a professionally managed investment vehicle designed to channel diaspora capital into specialist hospitals, diagnostic centres, telemedicine infrastructure, and medical training institutions across Nigeria.

“Every dollar invested delivers a dual return — creating value for investors while contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s healthcare future. We now have the regulatory framework, banking infrastructure, governance structures, and institutional commitment to make this possible,” he added.

Under the proposed structure, UBA will serve as custodian and structuring bank, while United Capital Asset Management, one of Nigeria’s leading asset managers with over ₦1.2 trillion in assets under management, will act as fund manager.

As part of deepening engagement with the Nigerian-American medical community, Rao also proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UBA and the two ANPA chapters. The proposed collaboration is anchored on six strategic pillars: preferred banking offerings for ANPA members; quarterly financial education sessions; the joint Healthcare Infrastructure Fund; a dedicated ANPA Wealth and Legacy Desk; access to group-rate family healthcare plans through Avon HMO; and a UBA co-matching contribution framework to support qualifying impact vehicles under the Pearl Endowment Fund.

The initiative represents a further expansion of UBA’s diaspora value proposition, which currently includes Non-Resident Nigerian (NRN) accounts in multiple currencies, fixed-income and dollar-denominated investment solutions through United Capital, elder-care trust solutions under the Homeland Anchor Care Trust programme in partnership with Avon HMO, and private wealth management offerings tailored to senior diaspora professionals.

The 2026 ANPA Carolinas Symposium marks another milestone in UBA’s strategic engagement with the diaspora community and reinforces the Bank’s long-held belief that diaspora capital can play a transformative role in accelerating healthcare and infrastructure development across Africa.

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Oliver Alawuba, has been honoured by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) at its 2026 Annual Dinner and Awards Night, alongside the Governor of Niger State, Umar Mohammed Bago; the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, Ph.D., FCA; and other eminent Nigerians.

The prestigious event, held over the weekend in Lagos, brought together top leaders from the public and private sectors to celebrate individuals and organisations whose contributions have significantly impacted Nigeria’s economic growth and professional development.

Alawuba, who received the award in the Non-Members Category, was presented with the honour by former Governor of Ogun State and Special Guest of Honour, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, FCA, alongside the President and Chairman of Council of ICAN, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya.

Speaking after receiving the award, Alawuba dedicated the recognition to the thousands of UBA employees across Africa whose dedication and commitment continue to drive the bank’s success and expansion.

L-R: Former Ambassador of Nigeria to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; President and Chairman of Council, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya; award recipient and Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa, Oliver Alawuba; and Former Governor of Ogun State and Special Guest of Honour, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, FCA, during the presentation of 2026 ICAN ICON Award to the UBA GMD, during the 2026 ICAN Annual Dinner and Award Night, held in Lagos at the weekend

“This honour belongs to every member of the UBA family who works tirelessly every day to serve our customers and build an institution that transcends individuals. I proudly accept this recognition on their behalf,” he said.

Addressing young Nigerians, Alawuba emphasised the importance of competence, integrity, discipline, and professionalism in building a globally competitive Africa.

“I want every young Nigerian to understand that there are no shortcuts to success. Build your competence, uphold integrity, and remain committed to excellence. Recognition will come. Africa’s brightest days are ahead, and it is your generation that will shape that future,” he added.

In his remarks, ICAN President and Chairman of Council, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, described the award recipients as exemplary leaders whose careers embody the values of integrity, professionalism, accountability, and service.

“Tonight is not only about celebrating achievements; it is about showcasing role models whose impact and values can inspire the accounting profession and the wider Nigerian economy,” he stated.

Also speaking at the event, Senator Ibikunle Amosun commended Alawuba’s support for the institute and described him as an exceptional financial leader with a strong commitment to professional development.

“Thank you for the immense support you have continued to give to ICAN. It is one of the reasons I am honoured to present this award to you tonight. We appreciate your contributions and look forward to even greater support in the future,” Amosun said.

Other recipients in the Non-Members Category included Governor Umar Mohammed Bago of Niger State; Kunle Ahmed, CEO of AXA Mansard Insurance Plc and Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association; and Prof. Godwin Chinyere Nwabunka, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Amadeus University.

In the Members Category, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, Ph.D., FCA, was honoured alongside Uwem Andrew-Essien, FCA, Accountant-General of Akwa Ibom State, and Odunayo Ani, Ph.D., ACA, Director, Financial Services Department, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

The Young Members Category recognised Olumide Akinpelumi, FCA, Associate Director, Indirect Tax and Global Trade at Ernst & Young, and Hauwa Nana Ibrahim, ACA, Group Director of Non-Tax Revenue at the Nigeria Revenue Service.

Corporate Awards were also presented to Amber Prime Plastics Limited, New Nigeria Development Company Limited, and Dufil Prima Foods Limited for their contributions to Nigeria’s business and economic environment.