United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc emerged as the biggest winner at the 2025 Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Service Ambassador Awards held over the weekend in Lagos.
The bank clinched four major awards including the coveted Platinum Service Ambassador Award, the highest honour of the night.
UBA also won in three other categories: DBN with the Highest Impact on MSMEs in Nigeria, DBN with the Highest Impact on Women MSMEs, and PFI with the Highest Impact in the North-Central Zone.
The DBN Service Ambassador Awards celebrates financial institutions that support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.
UBA’s multiple wins highlight its efforts in driving financial inclusion and empowering underserved communities, particularly women entrepreneurs.
Receiving the Platinum Service Ambassador Award on behalf of the bank, UBA’s deputy managing director Muyiwa Akinyemi expressed gratitude for the recognition.
“We are deeply honoured to be recognised by the Development Bank of Nigeria for our efforts in driving sustainable growth and empowerment for MSMEs, particularly women-led businesses and enterprises in Nigeria,” he said.
“These awards are a testament to our strategic focus on providing accessible financing, capacity building, and innovative solutions that enable small businesses to thrive. We remain committed to fostering economic resilience and prosperity across Nigeria.”
Also speaking, managing director/CEO of the Development Bank of Nigeria, Tony Okpanachi, applauded UBA’s performance and commitment.
“UBA has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication to alleviating financing constraints faced by MSMEs in Nigeria. Their impactful interventions, especially in supporting women entrepreneurs and underserved regions, align perfectly with DBN’s mandate. We celebrate UBA’s achievements and encourage them to continue setting benchmarks in MSME financing,” he said.
DBN was established to provide credit guarantees, capacity building and partial credit risk-sharing to support MSMEs in Nigeria through partnerships with financial institutions like UBA.
With presence in 20 African countries as well as the UK, US, France and the UAE, UBA serves over 45 million customers globally and employs 25,000 people across its operations.