Following an overwhelming response from students throughout Nigeria, OPay, a prominent fintech business in the country, revealed the top 48 teams for the next phase of the OPay National Innovation Challenge.
Along with OPay Futures and the ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship program, the National Innovation Challenge is one of the three main activities under the recently expanded OPay Scholars Program. OPay’s long-term dedication to promoting education, innovation, the development of digital skills, and youth empowerment throughout Nigeria is reflected in this program.
Applications for the National Innovation Challenge opened on May 25 and closed on July 3, drawing over 2,200 team applications from over 11,000 undergraduate students representing tertiary institutions across the nation in an attempt to win a portion of the ₦18 million prize pool, receive career mentorship from industry leaders, and gain access to learning opportunities designed to help them build practical technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges.
48 exceptional teams have been chosen to move on to the next round of the program after a thorough first-round examination based on the originality, quality, relevance, and potential effect of the solutions provided. The chosen teams, which include 24 from OPay’s partner tertiary institutions and 24 from non-partner universities, show the program’s dedication to giving gifted students in Nigeria, regardless of institution or location, opportunity. Five students from the same postsecondary institution make up each team.
Through a series of webinars, the winning teams will now take part in a six-week virtual learning and mentoring program where they will interact with seasoned professionals and industry experts from OPay, Google, and the Federal Government 3MTT program. The webinar sessions are intended to fortify their concepts, enhance their comprehension of innovation and entrepreneurship, and get them ready for the competition’s subsequent round. Ten of the 48 teams will advance to the next phase of the National Innovation Challenge after the webinar sessions.
Another important component of the OPay Scholars Program is OPay Futures, which provides a direct route to employment prospects in addition to teaching students from professionals in the field. Students from the 48 teams who were chosen will be eligible for a three-month internship with OPay and other partner organisations if they receive a score of 70% or above on the webinar evaluation. Participants will gain real-world industry experience, be exposed to actual business difficulties, and have the chance to develop skills that will help them succeed in Nigeria’s digital economy.
“The response to the National Innovation Challenge has been truly inspiring,” stated Itoro Udo, CSR Manager at OPay.
“Our conviction that Nigeria has an amazing pool of young talent ready to shape the future through innovation is reinforced by witnessing over 11,000 students come together to develop practical solutions to real challenges.”
“We are investing in learning, mentoring, teamwork, and innovation through the OPay Scholars Program, going beyond scholarships.”
“We are dedicated to assisting young Nigerians in gaining the knowledge, self-assurance, and experience necessary to develop solutions that can have a significant impact on society, in collaboration with our partners, Google, and the Federal Government’s 3MTT program.”
OPay is creating a comprehensive platform that supports students at every stage of their development through the expanded OPay Scholars Program. This includes career readiness through OPay Futures, innovation through the National Innovation Challenge, and financial support through the ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship. OPay is producing a new generation of innovators, technology experts, and future leaders who will support Nigeria’s digital transformation and economic expansion by fusing education, mentoring, real-world business experience, and job prospects.
The following 48 teams are moving on to the next phase of the OPay National Innovation Challenge:
Institutions that Partner with OPay
Acadron – FPNO; AlphaAcend – FUHSA; Solarpeer 360 – FUTMINNA; Guru Edutech – Kogi Poly; Creative Titans – Kwara Poly; NovaMinds – LASU; TrustDNA – NSUK; Treliant – OAU; ResearchFlow – OOU; Binary Bosses – UniAbuja; Treffen Labs – UniCal; Healing Hands – UI; Lodgr – UniIlorin; EvaFresh – UniJos; NovaMeds – UniMaid; Koboko – UNN; and Byte – UniUyo.
Institutions That Are Not Partners
Heala Health – Veritas University; Tower – UNIBEN; NeyoMarket – FULafia; PharmaLink – KASU; SentinelAI – ATBU; DevSpace – CU; AgriTeach – KWASUED; CuraMind – UNIPORT; CoursePass – LASUSTECH; KytoLabx – BU; CampusCheck – FUOYE; Hausevo – NOUN; Lyrclip – Miva; Triumph – LAUTECH; EcoSynergy – FUNAAB; TeamCoBuild – UNIZIK; ErrandG – LMU; Learnnr – UNILAG; Vita – NUN; SkoolConnectNG – YCT; and Team Paye – AU.
For updates, follow OPay on LinkedIn, @OPay_NG on X, and @opay.ng on Instagram. For additional information, go to www.opayweb.com/innovation-challenge/.
Concerning OPay
OPay, a prominent fintech business in Nigeria, was founded in 2018 with the goal of using technology to increase the accessibility of financial services. Money transfers, bill payments, card services, airtime and data purchases, and merchant payments are just a few of the many payment options the organization provides. OPay, which is licensed by the CBN and insured by the NDIC with the same insurance coverage as commercial banks, is well-known for its quick and dependable network and robust security features that safeguard consumers’ money.