Kayode Tokede
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBA Africa, Mrs. Abiola Bawuah, yesterday disclosed that the Pan-African financial institution has supported governments in African countries where it operates in key infrastructure projects, boosts trade, and created jobs for over 30,000 youths across the continent.
Bawuah said this in Lagos, during the UBA Africa Conversation 2023, with the theme: ‘Innovating the Continent for Growth, which echoed Africa Unions’ vision of innovation, technology, and the need to create opportunities in the continent.
According to her, “We’ve supported governments all over Africa in serious infrastructure. I make sure anywhere UBA is operating, we collaborate with the government to ensure the country is developed. You will agree with me without the infrastructure in Africa, we go no way.
“Also, across Africa, everybody is talking about manufacturing and adding value to the agriculture sector. Almost all of Africa’s economy is dominated by agriculture which is 60 per cent and we have come to a realization of adding value.
“If you failed to add value, you go nowhere. All the governments are talking about manufacturing but you cannot have manufacturing without infrastructure in place and infrastructure without power.
“UBA is repacking them. We have also come to the realisation that the government is not set up to create jobs and it is the private sector. We have collaborated with the government and created millions of jobs across Africa.
“There are numerous product facilities programs we have introduced for consumers, the corporate world, and SMEs and we are supporting them across the continent. It is only in UBA that I know of that supports MSMEs without collateral once you are faithful and running your company very well. It is indeed a great vision for Africa.”
On youth, she said: “Africa is a blessed continent with a youth population. I am told almost 70 per cent of most countries’ population in Africa are youths. We are dreaming of how to support these youths and that is how we are partnering with Tony Elumelu Foundation on youth empowerment.”
She expressed dissatisfaction over the low trade proportion in the continent, stressing that the financial institution is working on promoting trade across countries where UBA has branches.
According to her, “We have created so many platforms and we have means of payment that we called Africash and partnering with other organizations to enhance trade. With this, we believe that Africans should trade with each other.
“I do not think there is a country in Africa that has a dollar surplus. It is for us to promote trade across Africa and that is where UBA is coming in. We have put in so much for us to achieve it by ourselves. We are not going to be trading within ourselves by carrying cash. We are promoting technology, a means of payment to drive ease means of transactions.
“There are a number of products that we have at UBA to facilities these trades I am talking about.”
