Sterling Bank Celebrates First Cohort of N2bn Beyond Education Scholarship

Oluchi Chibuzor 

In a bold investment in Nigeria’s next generation of leaders, Sterling Bank has unveiled the first 99 beneficiaries of its N2 billion Beyond Education Scholarship Fund.

This, the bank said, signaled the rise of a movement to reimagine education as the engine of national transformation.

Speaking during the Sterling Leadership Series (SLS) held recently in Lagos, Chief Operating Officer of Sterling Bank, Temitayo Adegoke, described the unveiling as a clarion call for a new era.

“At Sterling, we see education as the most powerful tool for transformation. We have invested, and will continue to invest, in programs that extend access to quality education and create pathways for real-world opportunities,” Adegoke said.

Launched earlier this year, the Beyond Education Scholarship Fund is set to provide full tuition scholarships to deserving Nigerians, marking one of the boldest private-sector commitments to higher education in the country’s history. 

Anchored on Sterling’s HEART strategy (Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation), the initiative underscores the bank’s belief in education as the most powerful driver of national progress.

On his side, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman said the Sterling Leadership Series was designed to set a standard. 

According to him, “Tonight, that standard is clear. Our young people have the talent, the curiosity, and the courage. What they need are the right opportunities and we are creating the platforms, the tools, and the pathways to unlock Nigeria’s greatest dividend: its people.

“With N2 billion committed to opportunity, Sterling Bank is rewriting the script for how financial institutions shape a nation’s future, placing people at the centre and turning investment into lasting impact. Already, the Beyond Education Scholarship is sparking conversations nationwide, reminding Nigerians that the future is not inherited, it is built. Nominations are now open for the next cohort at sterling.ng/FUTURE.”