By Dipo Olowookere
Another laurel has been added to the cap of pan-African banking and financial services group, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc as it emerged the Financial Brand of the Decade at the Marketing Edge Awards which was held over the weekend.
The awards session was dedicated to outstanding brands (both corporate and product) and to personalities in the integrated marketing communication industry aimed at promoting the brand idea, in line with the company’s vision.
The award also celebrated the career exploits and achievements of brands, agencies and nominees of which UBA emerged the big winner.
UBA Plc was named as Financial Brand of the Decade in recognition of its innovative and pacesetting role.
This has been a product of painstaking review and assessment of the iconic contributions of the brand to the growth, development and continuing evolution of the Nigerian banking industry.
It also recognises UBA’s commitment to the enthronement of global best practices in the Nigerian banking sector.
Mr Toruka Osandunkwu, UBA’s Head, Brand Management, who received the award over the weekend in Lagos, expressed his delight and commended the organizers for the recognition given to UBA.
He explained that UBA’s dedication to innovation and hardwork towards satisfying customers’ needs, earned the bank the award of Financial Brand of the Decade. He emphasized the bank’s endless commitment to excellent service in line with its renewed focus to put the customer first.
“We have worked very hard to make this brand what it is today, and we are indeed grateful for the recognition of our various efforts, which have resulted in UBA coming up with innovations that are changing the face of banking on the African continent,” he enthused.
Mr John Ajayi, the CEO of Marketing Edge Publications Limited, organizers of the awards, said UBA’s impactful strides in the face of daunting challenges, especially its pathfinder role and market leadership for the past 70 years has earned the bank the award of Financial Brand of the decade.
UBA is a leading pan-African financial services group, with presence in 19 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America and France.
It was incorporated in Nigeria as a limited liability company after taking over the assets of the British and French Bank Limited who had been operating in Nigeria since 1949.
The United Bank for Africa merged with Standard Trust Bank in 2005 and from a single country operation founded in 1949 in Nigeria – Africa’s largest economy – UBA has become one of the leading providers of banking and other financial services on the African continent.
The lender provides services to over 14 million customers globally, through one of the most diverse service channels in sub-Saharan Africa, with over 1,000 branches and customer touch points and robust online and mobile banking platforms.
UBA was the first Nigerian bank to make an Initial Public Offering, following its listing on the NSE in1970. It was also the first Nigerian bank to issue Global Depository Receipts.
The shares of UBA are publicly traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the bank has a well-diversified shareholder base, which includes foreign and local institutional investors, as well as individual shareholders
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Aduragbemi Omiyale