UBA increases grant prizes for annual essay competition

In a bid to support education amidst economic challenges, the UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), has increased grant prizes for its 2024 National Essay Competition (NEC).

The foundation disclosed the increment in a statement announcing the commencement of the annual competition with a call for entries.

The education grant prize for the winner has increased from N5 million to N7.5 million, while N3 million and N2 million for the second and third prize winners now stand at N5 million and N3.5 million respectively.

According to the CEO of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, the foundation increased the grant prizes to support families and parents “especially in the face of the current economic climate in Nigeria.”

“The increase in grant prizes reflect our understanding of the rising costs of quality education and our determination to ensure that exceptional students can pursue their academic dreams without financial constraints.”

Competition details

The annual competition, now in its 14th edition, aims to promote literacy and intellectual development among secondary school students across Nigeria and the continent of Africa by extension.

UBA noted that students across Nigeria “can conveniently submit their entries from the comfort of their homes or schools via the UBA Foundation NEC digital submission portal.

Students are expected to submit entries on or before 8 November on the topic: “Discuss the Impact of Carbon Emission on Climate in Nigeria: Challenges and Solutions”.

According to the statement, the selection is in three steps: 75 students will be selected from all entries, then the top 20 finalists before the selection of winners who will receive educational grants worth millions of naira.

The statement reads in part: “The essays will be graded by renowned English professors who will then select the best 75 entries, which will be rewarded with N75,000 cash.

“A second competition will be held across four regions in Nigeria – Abuja, Enugu, Lagos and Port Harcourt where the 75 candidates will compete to be one of the 20 finalists. These 20 finalists will thereafter write a third essay where the top three will be selected.”

In 2023, 15-year-old Onaro Adaeze Chukwuzolem, a student of Fountain Heights Secondary School, Surulere Lagos, triumphed as the overall winner beating 11 other finalists.

UBA Initiative

Speaking further on the foundation’s commitment to development across Africa, Ms Atta reiterated that NEC is a testament to UBA foundation’s broader education initiatives which include the ‘Read Africa’ programme.

“The competition stands as a beacon of our commitment to nurturing Africa’s next generation of leaders and thinkers,” Mr Atta said.

“Through initiatives like this and our ‘Read Africa’ programme, we’re not just promoting literacy; we’re investing in the intellectual capital that will shape Africa’s future”.

Through its education pillar, the statement added that the foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture among African youths.