The Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer MD/CEO of the United Bank for Africa Sierra Leone Limited (UBASL) Ltd, Alhajie Mohamed Samoura has Thursday 25th May 2023 re-registered his bank’s strongest commitments to upholding the African Dream.
“We believe in the African Dream. We are not giving up on the African Dream,” said Acting MD/CEO UBASL.
Mr Samoura made the commitment whiles addressing staff, the media and customers during the commemoration of this year’s celebration at the bank’s headquarters on Charlotte Street in Freetown, marking the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Organization of the African Union, on 25th May 1963.
Mr Samoura warmly congratulated Africans for the commemoration of this year’s Africa Day.
On the importance of Africa Day, He said at a group level there was a discussion panel hosted for five prominent women, who in their own ways showed case what innovation is doing in Africa. The UBASL MD/CEO disclosed that as part of the commemoration of this year’s Africa Day, on Thursday 25 this year, UBA Africa CEO, Abiola Bawuah who is also a woman engaged in a discussion on the benefits of the Africa Dream.
Mr Samoura said UBA celebrates May 25th Africa Day every year because we are Africans. We don’t need a special day to be Africans, which is why we are celebrating our Africaness today. That’s why we are dressed in our different African attires to showcase the African culture.
The Acting UBASL MD/CEO said as part of the celebration, they prepared food and music just to remember Africa and observed that with all the Western influences at times we tend to forget that we are Africans. “Most of our culture have been eroded, and at UBA we must not forget where we are come from,” he entreated all.
Mr Samoura said as Africans we should realize that we should move the continent forward, which is exactly there we want to position Africa in next 60 years, informing that UBA has been operations for over 70 years with branches in over twenty countries in Africa.
“We are the only deposit taking bank in the United States of America. We do not only see ourselves as African operating in Africa, but as ambassadors operating out of Africa. We are in the UK, the US, Paris and just last year we opened our Dubai office, he said.
Mr Samoura furthered that as Africans we have the human capital; the resources and we have the talents to take our continent to the next level, that is why as part of our works we pay keen attention to African businesses. He therefore encouraged all to empower African businesses to enable the continent to be truly independent.
The Acting MD/CEO reiterated that UBA celebrating Africa Day is not just about the fanfare, eat African food, listen, and dance to African music, but to also send a strong message out there that as Africans we can make it and we are focused on the future.
He said signing young Sierra Leonean talents as brand ambassadors, forms part of promoting the African Dream.
Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications UBASL, Salliue Sesay described the occasion as a special UBA. He informed that all UBA subsidiaries observed the day.
Thursday’s festivities commenced with a float parade led by the Acting MD/CEO Mohamed Alhajie Samoura, who dressed in his white three piece flown gown, accompanied by staff in their respective African outfits, entered the UBASL banking hall dancing to typical the drumbeats thrilled customers.
