The UBA Foundation Read Africa Initiative was launched in 2011 and the project is aimed at encouraging children to improve on their vocabulary and communication skills through reading.
Through its Read Africa Initiative, the UBA Foundation is helping rekindle the dwindling reading culture among African youth as they pursue their education. Hundreds of thousands of books and educational materials have been donated to various schools across Africa as UBA Foundation continues to traverse the continent, contributing positively to the development of African youth.
Speaking at the donation ceremony in the various school grounds in Freetown, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UBA Sierra Leone, Chinedu Obita, said United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is one of Africa’s largest financial institutions operating in more than 20 African countries and three global financial centres including New York, London and Paris.
He said UBA has been operating in Africa since 1949 – referred to then as the British and French Bank Limited (BFB). It took over the assets and liabilities of BFB and was incorporated as a limited liability company on 23 February, 1961 under the Compliance Ordinance.
He added that the bank started operations in Sierra Leone in 2008 and that the bank believes in the empowerment of young people in any country they operate; hence the reason for launching the Foundation in 2006, charged with the responsibility of implementing their Corporate Social Responsibility.
Also speaking, UBA Sierra Leone Board Chairman, Emerica Karefa-Kargbo, said the Foundation was eager to give back to society and to contribute to creating dynamic educational platforms for future generations on the continent.
She encouraged pupils to read voraciously as that would help them master the English language and be able to read, write and speak good English.
Receiving the donation, Sierra Leone Grammar School Principal, Akiwande Lasite, said the bank’s Read Africa project was a welcome, especially in Sierra Leone where pupils no longer have time and passion to read.
In the same vein, acting Vice Principal of St. Joseph’s Junior Secondary School, Aminata R. Conteh, thanked the bank for their initiative to boost reading culture among pupils in the country and promised that they would do all in their power to encourage pupils to prioritize reading and use it to empower themselves academically.
