NEC 2023: UBA Foundation Empowers Young Minds In Nigeria With Sponsorship Opportunities For Higher Education—UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, is still receiving entries for its ongoing 2023 National Essay Competition (NEC) in Nigeria, offering young minds across the nation a pathway to higher education through sponsorship opportunities.
Beyond Nigeria, the NEC which is currently in its 13th year, has expanded its reach to other African countries where UBA operates, enabling even more African children to benefit from these educational grants and sponsorship opportunities for their tertiary education in any institution in Africa.
The first-place winner will secure a N5 million educational grant to pursue their university studies at any African university while the second and third prize recipients will each receive N3 million and N2.5 million educational grants, respectively, for their tertiary education in Africa. Additionally, the top 12 essay writers will be awarded brand new laptops and essential educational tools to enrich their academic journey.
This year, Senior Secondary School students in Nigeria will be expected to write on the essay topic: “Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) Surpass Human Intelligence? How Can Students Ensure AI Enhances Their Learning Through Research?,” and are to scan and upload their handwritten essays to https://www.ubagroup.com/national-essay-competition/ on or before October 20th, 2023.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, expressed the Foundation’s dedication to empowering young minds through education. She stated, “We have worked tirelessly to ensure that every Nigerian high school student has the opportunity to participate in NEC 2023 and stand a chance to win a fully funded university education through the UBA Foundation, and our essay topic this year encourages students to explore the intersection of AI and human intellect.
She also emphasized the significance of embracing technology to reach students in their comfort zones, as she underlined the importance of digital essay submissions, adding that “With the digital portal, participants can conveniently submit their essays from the comfort of their homes or schools. This approach, she say, aligns with UBA Foundation’s mission to leverage technology for greater inclusivity and accessibility,” she noted.
She pointed out that distinguished professors from reputable Nigerian universities are the judges who will evaluate the submissions, and select the top 12 finalists, who will be rewarded and recognized with consolation prizes, including personal computers. They will go ahead to participate in a second written and supervised test, where the three winners will be selected and announced at the competition’s grand finale in November, to be held at UBA’s headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
UBA Foundation embodies UBA Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively on societies through several laudable projects and initiatives. The Foundation through its Education pillar has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture in African youths. Its National Essay Competition has also afforded the opportunity to hundreds of students to improve their lives through higher education.
