Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Just when some organisations in the country are planning to lay-off some of their employees, Ecobank Nigeria is absorbing more.
Ecobank, which is one of the leading financial institutions in the country, held a virtual graduation ceremony for 57 trainees, who represent batch seven set of graduates being employed as full-time staff by the lender.
The event was the first of its kind by the bank in Nigeria as it positions itself as a high quality employer ready for the opportunities of a post-COVID19 lockdown.
In attendance were notable personalities including the Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Seye Awojobi; Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan; Group Executive, Human Resources, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Yves Mayilamene; Head, Human Resources, Ecobank Nigeria, Kunle Adewuyi and several others including the 57 graduands who joined the ceremony from various locations within and outside the country.
Mr Akinwuntan, while speaking at the event, reaffirmed the commitment of Ecobank to continue to invest in young Nigerians to boost its high quality labour force in order to better serve its customers in a convenient and accessible manner particularly as the nation rebounds from the COVID19 lockdown.
He added that Ecobank had invested in a robust technology-based model which positioned it to cope with current and future challenges including provision of convenient digital banking services to customers in a seamless manner across 36 countries on the African continent.
Mr Akinwuntan encouraged the graduands to remain ethical and diligent in the delivery of the vision of the bank to become the most preferred financial services payments brand in Nigeria to support the economic development of households and growth of trade, manufacturing and commerce in Nigeria and Africa.
On his part, the CIBN Registrar said the initiative of the bank to host the event digitally is pacesetting for the industry.
He commended the bank for the high premium placed on training and building the competencies of its workforce.
“The CIBN is quite impressed with the importance Ecobank attaches to training of new hires and capacity building of its staff. I have lost count of how many graduation events
“I attended at the state of the art Ecobank Academy last year. This is certainly the way to grow the bank and the industry to meet up with global standards. I advise the graduands to display high level of integrity.
“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised. You should be ready to give your best to the bank that hired and trained you and thereby contributing your quota to the growth of the industry.”
Welcoming the graduands formally to the bank, Acting Head, Human Resources, Ecobank Nigeria, Kunle Adewuyi said the bank offers an enabling and conducive environment for staff to excel to the highest level, adding that its reward system remains a motivating factor for high performance and productivity.
He explained that the Ecobank Graduate Trainee program is an intensive one year of in-depth training for fresh graduates, aimed at equipping the participants who may be coming from non-financial and banking related academic backgrounds with the necessary skillset and knowledge required to work in the banking and finance industry.
Adewuyi noted that the graduation involving 57 trainees, which took place digitally due to the Coronavirus pandemic, was the first ever virtual graduation to be held in the history of the academy. He enjoined them to remain focused and apply themselves uniquely in their different roles.
Group Executive, Human Resources, ETI, Yves Mayilamene advised the graduands to be fully committed to their growth, as well as the overall growth of the organisation.
