The Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Ghana, Bernard Gyebi, has reframed corporate investment in youth development as a financial strategy rather than a philanthropic obligation, arguing that empowering young Africans directly reduces credit risk and builds the next generation of bankable entrepreneurs.
Gyebi made the remarks at the Drive to Inspire Africa (DTI-A) 2025 Annual Impact Reporting Event held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on March 19, where UBA Ghana was a key corporate partner.
“Every investment in young people reduces future credit risk, increases productivity, and builds the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. This is not just corporate social responsibility; it is nation-building,” he said.
His remarks drew on the Africapitalism philosophy championed by UBA Group founder Tony O. Elumelu, which positions private sector investment in African development as both a moral and economic imperative.
“At UBA, we believe that Africa’s future is bankable because Africa’s youth are bankable. The greatest resource we have is not beneath the ground, but within our people,” Gyebi said.
DTI-A, founded by lawyer and entrepreneur Nana Adjoa Hackman after a single motivational talk to over 2,000 Basic Education Certificate Examination candidates in Koforidua sparked unexpected demand, has grown its mentorship programme from 179 mentees to 351 and expanded its network from 8 to 22 countries, according to its 2025 impact figures.
Gyebi said UBA’s alignment with DTI-A’s mission reflects a shared understanding that challenges such as youth unemployment, skills gaps, limited mentorship and gender disparities are economic problems as much as social ones.
UBA Ghana said it would deepen its partnership with DTI-A through youth-focused programmes, financial literacy initiatives, entrepreneurship development and digital skills training.
The event was attended by Minority Leader of Parliament Alexander Afenyo-Markin and former First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, alongside members of the diplomatic corps, development partners and youth leaders.
