The UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced that winners of the 2025 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC) will receive educational grants worth over N22.5 million to study at any African university of their choice.
This year’s first-prize winner will receive a N10 million university grant — a significant 33 percent increase from the N7.5 million awarded in 2024. The second and third-place winners will also receive enhanced prizes of N7.5 million and N5 million, respectively, compared to N5 million and N3.5 million awarded last year.
In addition to the cash prizes, the 12 finalists with the best essays will each receive brand-new laptops and other educational resources to support their academic pursuits and research work.
The NEC, a flagship initiative of the UBA Foundation, is designed to promote literacy, inspire critical thinking, and encourage healthy intellectual competition among senior secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.
For the 2025 edition, students are required to write on the topic: “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”
Speaking on the competition, the Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, highlighted the organisation’s ongoing commitment to supporting education and youth development. She explained that the increase in prize value reflects UBA Foundation’s determination to ease the financial strain of higher education for Nigerian families.
“The deliberate and significant increase in the value of these educational grants underscores our dedication to investing in academic excellence and alleviating the financial burden of higher education for Nigerian students and their families. We are confident that this will further inspire a culture of academic achievement and critical thinking,” she said.
Atta further reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to empowering young Africans, stating that “UBA Foundation remains deeply committed to creating impactful opportunities for the youth, who are the future of our continent.”
To participate, applicants must be Nigerian senior secondary school students and are required to submit scanned copies of their handwritten essays (not exceeding 750 words), a recent passport photograph, and a valid form of identification such as a birth certificate, National ID, or international passport via the designated portal on the UBA Foundation’s official website.
