We recognize that a country can never be better than its leaders and as such, prioritized nurturing leadership skills in the youth who demonstrated great promise. ELP was established in 1998 as a rigorous leadership development program for top-performing Kenyan students with the aim of creating a community of transformative leaders who work together across borders and various sectors to drive sustainable economic growth and social progress in Africa.
The scholars are exposed to a high-performing environment and are taught values of hard work, work ethics, customer service, communication skills, integrity and professionalism. Since inception, 5,963 scholars have benefitted from internships at Equity Bank prior to joining local or global universities.
Our impact in numbers
5,963+
Scholars have benefitted from internships.
Equity Group selects program beneficiaries whom they feel will exploit the opportunity presented for maximum benefit of not just themselves but the society as well. Each year, the bank develops a selection-criteria for new scholars based on these factors:
Local university scholars
Chapters operate as clubs aimed at expansion of avenues for leadership, professional development and financial support for Wings to Fly and ELP scholars.
Centre of excellence is a highly competitive program in which the bank provides mentorship to successful applicants for one term each year. ELP Scholars offer academic and value-based mentorship to the selected COE centres.
Global university scholars
In order to increase their global exposure, ELP scholars who wish to study abroad are taken through a month-long residential training program that covers critical thinking, college application processes and exposure to what global universities have to offer. Close to 500 scholars have secured admission in over 120 leading global universities across 25 different countries including Ivy league universities. ELP graduates from these institutions have proceeded to have fulfilling careers in leading global institutions in the fields of Finance, Health, IT, among others.
Internship programs
After the pre-university internships, the scholars join various universities abroad. During the long break, they get an opportunity to apply back to the bank for a paid internship, which is made available based on the business need.
Faith Ngaira is a recipient of the Wings to Fly scholarship and a graduate of Information Science from Kenyatta University. Since 2015 she has mentored female secondary school beneficiaries of WTF. Through her initiative Echoe Girls Vision, founded in 2018, she has mentored 157 students from low income areas in Nairobi, giving tips on academic excellence, overall health and inspiration She believes through mentorship and leadership, a profound and rewarding impact can be achieved.
Moses, a third-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and an alumnus of the Wings to Fly program, class of 2012, serves as the Sports and Entertainment Secretary in the JKUAT Student Council. He pioneered the formation of the Equity Leadership Chapter at JKUAT and initiated the ELP Music Group, Pizzicato, which addresses mental health through an event dubbed ‘Poetry Spot’. Moses also created Pinehouse Collection, an online clothing line and mentors WTF Scholars in his region.
Despite the hard circumstances surrounding Mohammed’s childhood, he managed to do will in his KCPE Examination because of his resilience and hard work. However, his parents could not afford his high school tuition. Thanks to EGF’s Wings to Fly Program, Mohammed joined Lenana School and completed his secondary education. Currently he is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Nairobi, and is an active mentor to the youth.