The launch which, took place at the company’s head office in Accra witnessed the MD/CEO of UBA Ghana Isong Udom, Regional CEO W/A 1 UBA, Mrs. Abiola Bawuah, the Director of Pre-Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Mrs Catherine Appiah-Pinkrah, directors of the Ghana Educational Service (Secondary Education), and senior staff of UBA and people from various media organizations in the country.

The UBA Foundation National Essay Competition which was launched in 2014 in Ghana, has provided a competitive platform to develop the intellectual and writing abilities of SHS students in Ghana, and other African Countries where UBA operates and granting winners fully paid scholarship into any University in Africa.

The competition in Ghana has so far produced 15 winners currently studying in various universities in the country.

The sixth edition promises to be more intriguing as it’s expected to witness an increase in the number of participants to over 5,000.

The participating students will battle it out in the essay writing competition on the captivating topic: “Investigative Journalism is seen as ‘Invasion of Privacy’. Discuss” unveiled at the launch.

The first prize winner is expected to walk home with a whopping USD5,000 for tuition fees while the second and third gets USD3,000 and USD2,000 respectively.

Speaking at the launch, UBA Ghana MD/CEO, Mr Isong Udom said: “At UBA, we believe in Africa. We believe the future of Africa lies in her youth. That is why we have made a pledge to passionately continue to support this cause”. He therefore urged every SHS student in Ghana to think outside the box, dream big, get creative and compete for the prizes.

In a speech read on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh by the Director of Pre-Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Mrs Catherine Appiah-Pinkrah, noted: “Two of the most critical skills that every school child must necessarily be equipped include reading and writing” She expressed delight in UBA interest in intellectual growth with reading and writing skills.

In a goodwill message, the Deputy Director Secondary Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Augustus Agyemfra pledged the GES continuous support to the UBA essay competition to ensure that more students participate in the competition.

For entry, applicants are to send in handwritten essay of not more than 750 words on the selected topic to UBA Foundation, United Bank for Africa (Ghana) Limited at Heritage Tower, off Liberia Road Ridge, PMB 29 Ministries – Accra or deliver essay application to any UBA branch closer to the applicant(s).

Since inception in 2005, UBA Ghana has established its presence in Ghana as a full financial service institution providing retail, corporate and investment banking services. The bank offers a wide range of unique banking solutions and products to its customers. The Bank pioneered the entry of a new generation of foreign banks into Ghana in January 2005. UBA Ghana’s presence in the banking industry in Ghana over the last decade has revolutionized banking in the industry, where competitive innovation in responding to the needs of the customers has become the driving force of the industry. UBA's world class customer driven innovations have earned it the confidence of the Ghanaian public; as it continues to provide banking services to a wide variety of customers.