Pan-African investment company, Heirs Holdings (HH), has announced the appointment of Dan Okeke as Group Executive Director.
The appointment took effect from August 1.
Okeke joins following a distinguished three-decade career at the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), where he most recently served as an Executive Director, responsible for leading consumer, commercial and public-sector businesses.
At HH, he will be responsible for business coordination and growth across Heirs Holdings’ portfolio of pan-African investments in the power, financial services, oil and gas, hospitality, real estate, healthcare, and financial technology sectors.
Heirs Holdings is a family-owned investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa. Our portfolio spans the power, oil and gas, financial services, hospitality, real estate, and healthcare sectors, operating in twenty-three countries worldwide.
Driven by the Africapitalism philosophy of the Group’s founder, Tony Elumelu, which positions the private sector as the catalyst of African growth and seeks both social and economic returns on investment, Heirs Holdings invests for the long-term, bringing strategic capital, sector expertise, a track record of business turnaround accomplishment and operational excellence to companies within its investment portfolio.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Heirs Holdings has recorded consistent business success across its portfolio of investments.
Commenting on the appointment, Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, stated: “As we continue to grow in scale and complexity, Dan’s appointment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to institutionalisation.
We have always recognised the need to invest in human capital. This announcement is a clear demonstration of our intent and determination to create sustainable value in all our business operations.
“I am delighted to take on this new challenge and look forward to contributing towards the fulfillment of Heirs Holdings’ objective of improving lives and transforming the Continent,” Okeke stated on his appointment.
The Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Tony O. Elumelu, has said that the Corona virus pandemic has presented a perfect opportunity for foreign investors to invest in Africa, owing to the huge opportunities that are inherent in the African economy.
“This is the time to invest. Africa is a land of opportunities; There is huge population and there is now the realisation by African leaders who are creating an enabling environment to encourage these investments,” Elumelu said on Thursday, while speaking at a virtual session organised by the TIME100TALKS on the theme, ‘Empowering Entrepreneurs’.
Bill Gates, Founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and United States Senator, Tammy Duckworth, were other thought leaders who also spoke in sessions at the event.
While pointing out that the African continent is well positioned to emerge into a strong digital economy, Elumelu said, there is now more macro-economic stability than ever before, especially given that the young African is energetic, restless and has the ambition to succeed, in the face of difficult circumstances.
“Challenges exist in Africa, but we have huge returns on investments. There is huge population and there is realisation by African leaders who are now creating an enabling environment to encourage investments into Africa. There is no better time to make the multi-million dollar bet I made in Africa, than the times we live in now,” he said in a chat with Kimberly Dozier, a Time Correspondent who moderated the session.
Speaking on the effect that the pandemic has had on the operations of UBA in the last few months, Elumelu noted that there has been a rapid increase in technological embrace and called for the strengthening of infrastructure, networks and digital platforms to support the growth.
“In banking business this whole digital transformation is heightened further by COVID-19, right now, you have less than 15% of our over 20million bank customers that are transacting in the bank. Most of them now transact online, which is 85% of over 20million customers. That is significant. Before COVID, it was about 65%. UBA is seeing an explosion in its digital platforms. Thankfully, the bank invested significantly in technology, and now, they are investing even more so that they can serve their customers better. So, the digital connectivity technical infrastructure should be strengthened in such a way as to aid this explosion we are seeing,” Elumelu said.
He also spoke on how the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which he founded, has been supporting the growth of its entrepreneurs especially in the tough business climate presented by the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
“Through the TEF virtual platform called the TEFConnect, we are able to engage our entrepreneurs on a day-to-day basis; get resource speakers from all over the world and ourselves, to talk to them and to train them and let them know how to manage difficult moments like this. And I can say that at-least 72% of our 9,500 beneficiaries are hanging in there, expanding their businesses. You know most SMEs typically die after their first year, but we are seeing a different trend, where beneficiaries of our programme in different countries are contributing towards fighting the virus in their different countries. We are seeing the creation of jobs, the one million jobs we set out to achieve,” he noted.
The TEFConnect Community is a meeting ground where entrepreneurship ecosystem players share information and ask questions on their business activity. Currently one million entrepreneurs are on TEFConnect
Elumelu seized the opportunity to call on all bodies and key sectors such as the private sector, public sector, development agencies like the African Development Bank and other institutions to work together to make a difference, adding that “What the world needs today and Africans, in particular, is hope and that to me is what will make the difference but that hope has to be backed by tangibility, some substance so that we can make it work.”
In his submission, Bill Gates sought for collaboration between the private and public sector to end the pandemic, adding “Every country has to think through the right policies to stop the spread, there is need to speed up the process of getting new drugs and vaccines, we need a global response.”
Senator Duckworth who also emphasised the need for funding for teaching and appreciation for teachers, advocated for more teamwork at all levels to fight the pandemic, said, “What the country needs is a team that will step forward to deal with the crisis. It is very significant for me to be on a national stage for other Asian Americans, because we often are the forgotten minority in this country.”
TIME100 Talks, an initiative of TIME magazine, is a new live event series that convenes leaders from every field to spotlight solutions to urgent global problems and encourage cross-disciplinary action.
In its continuous bid to support the growth of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) and equip them with the necessary tools aimed at strengthening and sustaining their businesses, Pan African Financial Institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is set to organise another MSME Workshop for entrepreneurs.
The workshop which will hold on Wednesday via Microsoft Teams, will host professionals who will share their experiences and give essential tips to MSME and business owners on how to their businesses to the next level.
This Workshop which will be in two separate sessions, will specifically target financial record keeping in business which has been established as one of the major challenges that business owners face and it promises to be an eye-opener to participants.
The Founder, Accounting Hub, Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, will take the first session as she gives insights and shares practical knowledge on Bookkeeping and Accounting Basics for Small Businesses, while in the second session, UBA’s Group Head, Tax Management, Emeka Amadi, will take participants though practical steps om Tax Management for Small Businesses.
UBA’s Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, Jude Anele, who spoke on the bank’s deep passion to help small businesses, explained that as the engine of any developing economy, MSMEs should be armed with the necessary tools that will help galvanise their businesses, adding that this necessitated the regular MSME workshops organised by the bank to assist both its customers and non-customers to boost their businesses.
He said: “UBA is committed to the overall growth of its customers beyond banking services, and the bank’s passion is hinged on ensuring that customers and entrepreneurs run businesses that can stand the test of time with the knowledge and experience required to take their businesses to the next level.
“Because of our interest in Businesses and customers, we conceptualised the SME workshop to fill the existing gaps observed in businesses thus assisting them to learn new ways of doing business and how to package their businesses for increased patronage,” Anele noted.
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing & Customer Experience, Michelle Nwoga, said the seminar is open to all business owners and leaders across Nigeria reiterated its important because of the long-term impact which range from strengthened confidence, skills, knowledge, and resources.
Participants who register for the Teams session here, will be trained in record keeping, cost reduction, stock compiling, financial and taxation planning, maximising opportunities, financial planning and projections.
Nwoga explained that the bank is on the constant look-out for top business personalities who are able to share their growth strategies with other upcoming business owners, adding, “Our business leaders for this workshop are experienced in every sense of the word and willing to share insight with others on how to grow their business.”
Emeka Amadi is a seasoned Chartered Accounting and Tax professional with14 years’ experience. He has facilitated several seminars and training to Finance professionals and sensitising SMEs on the importance of Tax and Accounting function in business value creations.
Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze who is the Founder, Accountinghub, a tech-accounting firm, is a Chartered Accountant. She is a recipient of several awards, both academic and entrepreneurial, as well as an amazing speaker and writer.
Kindly register: http://bit.ly/UBA-MSME-Worskhop-Registration
In its continuous attempt to support the growth and sustainability of small and medium scale businesses in Nigeria and Africa, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc will be hosting the UBA Business Series on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
The UBA Business Series, which is held quarterly, is a capacity building initiative where leading business leaders share insights on best business practices on how entrepreneurs can build a sustainable business empire especially in the challenging business environment in Africa.
In this edition, which will be held via Microsoft Teams, UBA will host the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Network, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, who will give tips to business leaders and participants on ways to ensure their businesses survive especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The open event will be held virtually starting at 2pm WAT on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 and interested participants can register via http://bit.ly/UBA-Business-Series-Registration
Ogunsanya will be speaking on the topic: ‘Strategies and competencies for adjusting to a Post COVID-19 Business Environment’, and will aim to equip business owners with the important and essential strategies on how to recover and rebuild their business concerns following losses incurred due to the pandemic which took the world by storm, thus forcing many businesses to re-examine their models and strategies in line with the new normal.
UBA’s Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, Jude Anele, said that far beyond banking services, UBA is interested in ensuring that customers and entrepreneurs run businesses that can stand the test of time, adding that the Business Series, which is hosted quarterly, will assist to arm business leaders with all the knowledge and experience required to take their businesses to the next level.
He said, “Even in this period of the pandemic, it is interesting to note that some businesses are still making it big. How? you will ask, these are some of the questions we will address in our seminar on Tuesday. We have a business leader who is experienced in every sense of the word and is willing to share insight with others on ways to grow their business and put it on firm footing as we try to move beyond this pandemic. I will advise everyone to tune in, even if you do not have a business, it is an opportunity to learn something new.”
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing & Customer Experience, Michelle Nwoga, said that the business seminar is open to all business owners and leaders across Nigeria. She explained that it is a capacity building programme which aims to assist participants to gain practical knowledge and insights to help their businesses thrive.
Nwoga explained that the UBA Business Series has previously hosted renowned business leaders like Mr Haresh Keswani, MD/CEO Artee Group (Spar) who pioneered the second wave of retail revolution in Nigeria through the birth of Park n Shop.
Segun Ogunsanya, MD/CEO Airtel Networks Limited, is an Engineer and a Chartered Accountant by profession with over 27 years’ experience garnered across multiple geographies, organizations and diverse sectors such as telecoms, consulting, Banking and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). He joined Airtel Nigeria in 2012 and he has repositioned the company to become profitable and the second largest telecommunications company by revenue and serving over 50 million customers.
The United Bank for Africa is a leading pan-African financial institution offering banking services to more than twenty million customers globally. With footprint in 20 African countries and presence globally in the United Kingdom, the USA and France, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross border payments and remittances, trade finance and ancillary banking services.
Demand a new deal in and for Africa
Advocate speedy implementation of AFCFTA
Call for Increased Investment in Digital Connectivity
United Bank for Africa (UBA) celebrated Africa Day 2020, by bringing together global leaders at the 2nd UBA Africa Day Conversations, screened live across the continent. UBA helps set the debate around African economic development through its series of “Africa Conversations”.
This year, the focus was on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Covid-19 pandemic. Leaders emphasised the need for meaningful collaboration between governments and the private sector, as a requirement for the quick recovery of the economy of the African continent post Covid-19.
The panel included the President of Liberia, H.E George Weah; United States Senator Chris Coons; the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer; and was moderated by the Group Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony O. Elumelu.
Other leading voices contributing were the Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed; the Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), H.E George Chikoti; Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner and Donald Kaberuka, the former President of the African Union.
Elumelu spoke on the need to mobilise quickly and explained the necessity to identify a more fundamental solution to Africa’s challenges. “This is the time for us to deal with the situation, this is not the time for finger pointing, but for collaborative efforts by governments and organisations, to fight the pandemic globally. There is need to flatten the curve, we need global co-operation to stem global depression. Africa requires a large stimulus package, and we need long-term solutions to prevent a cycle of debt.”
Liberian President, George Weah, demonstrated how collaboration has assisted his country to stem the sufferings brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. “In Liberia we have taken measures to ease the financial burden on vulnerable business in the informal sector by providing small loan assistance to SMEs and traders. In addition, we are working with commercial banks to manage the repayment of loans as well as to create stimulus packages for citizens,” President Weah said.
US, Senator Chris Coons made valuable contributions to the discussions, saying “We must develop a vaccine that is free and affordable and freely distributed so that full economic activities can return. This is no time to be looking backwards. We recognise the power of collective collaboration on the continent.”
Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah called for the swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and disclosed that Afrexim has made available $200million to supply fertilisers and grains amongst across Africa. The Afrexim boss asserted “If Africa allows hunger takeover the people, it will see an increase in insecurity, which will take a long time to overcome.”
George Chikoti of ACP, said that the huge task of economic recovery on the continent, rests on both the government and the private sector. “African governments need to accept the support of the Private Sector in alleviating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. We have so far been able to release $25m to all member states”, Chikoti added.
Achim Steiner of the UNDP focused on digital connectivity as an enabler of development. “What we need to look at is to find a way for government as a regulator and also as an investor, to leverage private sector investment into these areas” Steiner said.
Peter Maurer, President, ICRC, said there is the need to look at pandemics as part of a broader health system which needs stabilisation. “We must do more than life-saving. This pandemic has illustrated the weakness of health, water, sanitation and social systems, and we have to heavily invest into the stabilisation of these systems,” he said.
Amir Ben Yahmed said the crisis is going to be a super accelerator of already existing trends. “We have to get away from the commodity driven model which has failed in creating prosperity. “We need to use this crisis to take Africa to the next level. We also need to attain self-reliance. Self-reliance is an important goal,” Yamed said.
The UBA Africa Conversations concluded with the need to act quickly and effectively, highlighting that Africa has lessons to teach the world in containment, but was economically vulnerable.
The United Bank for Africa is a leading pan-African financial institution offering banking services to more than twenty million customers globally. With footprint in 20 African countries and presence globally in the United Kingdom, the USA and France, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross border payments and remittances, trade finance and ancillary banking services.
…Global co-operation needed to stem global depression
Global leaders at the second edition of United Bank for Africa (UBA) African Day Conversations, have emphasised the need for meaningful collaborations between governments and the private sector as a panacea for the quick recovery of the economy of the African continent post Covid-19.
The leaders which included the President of Liberia, H.E George Weah; United States Senator Chris Coons; the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer; President spoke on Monday at the virtual Leadership Panel which was moderated by the Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony Elumelu.
Other leading voices who made up the panel were the Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed; the Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), H.E George Chikoti; Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner and Donald Kaberuka.
While moderating, Elumelu, who is also the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, spoke on the need to mobilise everyone and explained the necessity to discover a more fundamental solution to Africa’s challenges through collaborative efforts.
“This is the time for us to deal with the situation we have and also forge a better situation for everyone, acting again collectively,” he said. “This is not the time for finger pointing but for collaborative effort by governments and organizations to fight the pandemic globally.”
Continuing, Elumelu pointed out that all hands must be on deck if the African continent is to have a quick recovery from the pandemic, adding “There is need to flatten the curve, we need global co-operation to stem global depression. Africa requires a large stimulus package, and we need long-term solutions to prevent a cycle of debt.”
In his submission, the Liberian President, George Weah, established how collaborations worked in his government in an attempt to stem the sufferings brought about the coronavirus pandemic.
“In Liberia we have taken measures to ease the financial burden on vulnerable business in the informal sector by providing small loan assistance to SMEs and traders. In addition, we are working with commercial banks to manage the repayment of loans as well as to create stimulus packages for citizens.”
On his part, US, Senator Chris Coons, said, “It is important to take a moment to look at how African leaders have reacted to the pandemic. In order for us to recover from this pandemic, we must develop a vaccine that is free and affordable and freely distributed so that full economic activities can return. There are ways we can invest in debt relief, invest in infrastructure and human development. This is no time to be looking backwards. We recognise the power of collective collaboration on the continent.
While pointing out that the pandemic poses an opportunity for Africa to be independent and promote its growth and development as a people without external help; Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah, on his part, said COVID 19 has taught Africa that there comes a time when every group of people will fend for themselves.
He called for the swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, adding, “The priority of government should be to make sure that the AfCFTA gets implemented without delay. If there was any doubt about the importance of that agreement, this pandemic has told us that this is the way to go.
Continuing, Oramah said: “The pandemic has shown so many weaknesses we have across our continent. We know that hunger is looming if we do not do anything. If we allow hunger to take over from the COVID 19 pandemic, we will begin to see political problems filling in. For Africa the problems go beyond health challenges to other areas such as food supply. Hunger is looming and if action is not taken, Africa will see political problem. Africa has become the epicenter of the economic devastation that this pandemic has unleashed upon us.”
While disclosing that Afrexim has made available $200million to supply fertilizers and grains amongst others across Africa, the Afrexim boss added that “If Africa allows hunger takeover the people, it will see an increase in insecurity, which will take a long time to overcome.”
George Chikoti of ACP, said that the huge task of economic recovery on the continent, rests on both the government and the private sector. “The responsibility of COVID-19 does not rest on the government alone, the private sector needs to play a big role in lifting the burden of the pandemic. African governments need to accept the support of the Private Sector in alleviating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa,” he said.
“We have been able to release $25m to all member states. One of the major challenges is to make sure that in all countries, we have agricultural activity and high productivity. What we should learn from the impact of this pandemic is that the international community can look at how well they can fund all these initiatives that come from our countries, Chikoti added.
Achim Steiner of the UNDP noted that Digital connectivity is very essential as it is a crucial opportunity to connect all schools across the continent, adding that emphasis on Healthcare is also very important. “Digital connectivity is very crucial to connect schools to the internet. We need to address inequality; also, the virus has put a spotlight on Africa’s healthcare system. Africa needs to look at intermediate strategies like micro-insurance to ramp up this sector. Healthcare has the ability to make a large percentage of the occupation fall into extreme poverty.
“What we need to look at is to find a way for government as a regulator and also as an investor, to leverage private sector investment into these areas” Steiner said.
Peter Maurer, President, ICRC, said there is the need to look at pandemics as part of a broader health system which needs stabilisation; A lot of vulnerable populations in Africa have been heavily infected by the pandemic. “We must do more than life-saving. This pandemic has illustrated the weakness of health, water, sanitation and social systems, and we have to heavily invest into the stabilization of these systems.
Throwing more light on this, Maurer said, “Two things need to follow after live saving during the pandemic. First, the pandemic has illustrated the weak situation of health, water and food systems and we need to heavily invest both by the public and private sectors to stabilize the health sector. Secondly, investment has always gone into the more developed parts of Africa and not the fragile parts. We need Private Public Partnerships and investments by multi-corporate institutions to develop these areas’ he noted.
Amir Yahmed said the crisis is going to be a super accelerator of already existing trends. “We have to get away from the commodity driven model which has failed in creating prosperity. Secondly, self-reliance should be one of the major objectives. The pandemic is wake up call for Africa – Creating new streams of revenue and self-reliance by the African continent”
“We need to use this crisis to take Africa to the next level. This crisis is going to be a super accelerator of already existing trends. I think it has to be a wake-up call for us to attain goals we haven’t reached. Create new revenues for the economy. We also need to attain self-reliance. Self reliance is an important goal. Africa manufactures [only] 2% of what it produces. We need to use this crisis to take Africa to the next level. Invest in digital infrastructure, digital education, agriculture is another opportunity we need to grab. We need to get the AFCTA working,” Yamed said.
Donald Kaberuka on his part opined that “What we need (for this crisis) is something unusual, it is not business as usual. It is not marginal action, it is radical action.”
The President of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall, President of Liberia, H.E George Weah and United States Senator Chris Coons will form part of a high-level leadership panel to be moderated by the Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, to discuss Africa’s economic recovery in the 2020 edition of UBA’s Africa Conversations.
The African Presidents and global leaders will be joined on the panel by other global leaders including the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer and President and Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed.
With over 60% of Africans living below the poverty line, the pandemic poses an existential threat to Africa’s economic growth and this session will define the lessons learned and the roadmap to economic growth and sustainability.
Together, the leading voices will speak on Monday, May 25th, 2020, on the theme ‘UBA Africa Day Conversations 2020: Growth, Jobs, and Sustainable Development Amidst a Global Pandemic,’ This will be the second edition of the symposium organised annually by UBA, in celebration of Africa Day.
The open event will be held virtually starting at 3pm WAT and interested participants can register on the UBA website here.
Africa Day is celebrated worldwide on May 25th, to showcase the diversity and beauty of Africa and its people. The United Bank for Africa, with its pan-African footprint spanning 20 African countries, New York, Paris, and London, continues to lead the conversation and focus on the the development, growth, and unity of the continent.
Every human being has his or her own salient attributes and leadership qualities, and these vary from individuals to individuals; especially when they occupy top managerial positions in their respective organizations.
Such could allude to the substantial and impressive leadership qualities which epochal Kennedy Uzoka has brought to bear, since he assumed office as the MD/CEO of United Bank of Africa few years ago. As the helmsman of the first generation bank, Kennedy Uzoka is daily proving pundits wrong that age is not a big factor when it comes to efficient service delivery and well-focused administration, even in the face of persistent opposition from both within his bank and other financial services providers.
Since he came into office by a stroke of fate, the youthful banking guru has continued to remain focused, stoic and steadily delivering the growth to the bank, with several products and services that can make other banks go green with envy.
He is a professional banker par excellence, with an intimidating academic profile of over two decades, within which he has garnered relevant banking experience across key banking functions, including Branch Services, Commercial Banking, Public Sector and Institutional/Corporate Banking.
Aside his banking job, Ken Uzoka is also a power dresser, and also proficient polo player, with a good marital life. His leadership and managerial styles have also extended beyond the borders of Nigeria, and the results coming in are very impressive.
Pan-African Financial Services Institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc will be rewarding its loyal customers who refer friends and family to the bank in its new diaspora campaign.
The campaign is designed to reward customers of the bank who refer their Diaspora friends/relatives to open a UBA account.
Specifically, this campaign will last for three months and the bank will be rewarding any customer who refers other customers with the reward of N5,000 for every successfully opened new and funded account.
For instance, new and existing customers who refer friends and relatives in the Diaspora to open new UBA accounts will be eligible to grab the reward for as many times as the number of people they refer.
According to the campaign managers, the referrer who must have an account with UBA, will have his/her account number inputted in the provided field by the referred. The account number is expected to serve as a reference code for paying the reward, and once the new Diaspora account is funded with a minimum of $100, $100, £100, €100 or N50,000, for a one-month period, the reward sum of N5,000 will be automatically credited into the Referrer’s account.
They further explained that the campaign which kicks-off on May 22, 2018, involves no raffle draws, customers just refer, and redeem their cash prizes after successful funding of the new account.
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