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The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE or The Exchange) hosted its first-ever digital graduation ceremony in honour of members of the Class of 2020 of the NSE Graduate Trainee Programme (GTP) on Friday, 20 November 2020.
Now in its 5th cycle, the NSE GTP is an 11-month intensive program designed to groom talents locally and raise a new generation of leaders for the capital market and the Nigerian economy. It is a one-stop capacity platform for passionate young graduates to develop skill sets which will open up countless opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, NSE, stated that, “It is my pleasure to congratulate our latest set of trailblazers, young men and women, vibrant and talented Nigerians, who have successfully completed the NSE Graduate Trainee Programme. It takes an extraordinary personality to succeed in a fast-paced business environment as ours and these Trainees have demonstrated the true spirit of the African Champion through their exemplary performance in the programme. We are confident that the professionals we are grooming at The Exchange will be the vehicle through which our organizational excellence will reach the world even as we look forward to becoming a demutualised entity.”
“I would like to appreciate our numerous stakeholders who have committed both time and resources towards the success of this programme. Special thanks go to the programme faculty for their time, dedication and willingness to impart knowledge. We are grateful to all firms where the Trainees had their internship, and to all staff of The Exchange who provided guidance and requisite support throughout the programme”, Onyema added.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony, Mr. Mitchell Elegbe, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Interswitch, applauded the Graduate Trainees on the momentous occasion while commending NSE for setting up a program to groom a distinguished breed of young professionals for the capital market. “Over the years, Nigerian youth have been recording giant strides in various fields. I am, therefore, pleased to celebrate this crop of creative and innovative minds who will shape the future of the capital market, the Nigerian economy and ultimately, the African economy. It is my hope that as these young, talented professionals take their next steps, they will embrace and adapt to change, build the credibility and reliability required to earn stakeholders’ trust, and have the boldness to take on risks.”
In delivering the valedictorian speech, the Trainee of the Year, Maryam Saad said, “As a young graduate, I will never forget the sense of pride I felt when I received my offer of employment into the NSE Graduate Trainee Programme. It was an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment for us all to discover that only 20 of us were selected from a pool of over 14,000 candidates. Looking back to our first day as trainees, I can confidently say that none of us is leaving this program the same person as we started. The activities of these past 13 months have shaped us in ways we cannot imagine, and made us better in all ramifications. Looking ahead, we remain committed to upholding the Exchange’s culture of ambition, inclusivity and fairness and using our skills and talents for the good of the Exchange, the capital market and the economy as a whole.”
