United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) Foundation National Essay Competition 2025

United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is one of Africa's leading financial institutions, with operations in 19 African countries and 3 global financial centres: London, Paris and New York. From a single country organisation founded in 1949 in Nigeria UBA has grown to become a pan-African provider of financial services with over 11 million customers, through close to 1000 business offices and touch points globally.

The UBA Foundation, the CRS arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, invites applications from Senior Secondary school students in Nigeria for:

Title: UBA Foundation National Essay Competition 2025

About NEC

• The National Essay Competition, targeted at senior secondary students in Nigeria, is organised annually, as part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative which aims to promote the reading culture and encourage healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.
• The National Essay Competition aims to promote the reading culture and encourage healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.

Essay Topic

• Nigeria is Characterised By Diverse Cultures, Ethnicities, and Religions. How Can Young Nigerians Deploy Diversity to Build a United Nation?

Stages

• 1st Stage: Call for entries - 12 best essays to be selected
• 2nd Stage: Final physical test - Winner, 1st Runner-up, 2nd Runner-up.

Prizes to Be Won

• Winner: N10,000,000 Educational grant to any African University
• 1st Runner-up: N7,500,000 Educational grant to any African University
• 2nd Runner-up: N5,000,000 Educational grant to any African University.

Application Requirements

• Must be a Nigerian Senior Secondary School Student.
• Complete application form.
• Upload a handwritten essay of 750 words max (not typed).
• Upload a recent passport photograph.
• Upload a scanned copy of Birth Certificate, National ID, or International Passport.

Selection Procedure

• All entries will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges comprising professors from reputable Nigerian universities. From the entries received, 12 finalists will be shortlisted for the next stage. 
• The 12 finalists will participate in a second and final round of competition at the UBA Head Office, Lagos. The top three winners will be selected based on the quality of their final essays.

Application Closing Date
17th October, 2025.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Things to Note

• All incomplete and/or duplicate entries will be disqualified.
• Ensure your full name is written on your handwritten essay before uploading.
• The title of the attachments should be the applicant's name and the name of the document being attached e.g (John Doe - Passport Photograph)