OPay, a leading fintech company in Nigeria, has announced the selection of the top 48 teams for the next stage of the OPay National Innovation Challenge, following an overwhelming response from students across Nigeria.

The National Innovation Challenge is one of the three flagship initiatives under the newly expanded OPay Scholars Programme, alongside the ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship initiative and OPay Futures. The programme reflects OPay’slong-term commitment to supporting education, innovation, digital skills development and youth empowerment across Nigeria.

In a bid to win a share 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, applications for the National Innovation Challenge opened on May 25 and closed on July 3, attracting more than 2,200 team applications from over 11,000 undergraduate students representing tertiary institutions across the country.

Following a rigorous first-round evaluation based on the originality, quality, relevance and potential impact of the solutions submitted, 48 outstanding teams have been selected to advance to the next phase of the programme. 

The selected teams comprise 24 from OPay’s partner tertiary institutions and 24 from non-partner institutions, demonstrating the programme’s commitment to providing opportunities for talented students across Nigeria, regardless of institution or location. Each team consists of five students from the same tertiary institution.

The successful teams will now participate in a six-week virtual learning and mentorship programme, where they will engage with experienced professionals and industry experts from OPay, Google and the Federal Government 3MTT programme through a series of webinar sessions. The webinar sessions are designed to strengthen their ideas, deepen their understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship, and prepare them for the next stage of the competition. At the end of the webinar sessions, the 48 teams will be narrowed down to 10, who will move on to the next stage of the National Innovation Challenge.

In addition to learning from industry experts, the programme also creates a direct pathway to career opportunities through OPay Futures, another key pillar of the OPay Scholars Programme. Students from the 48 selected teams who score 70% or higher in the webinar assessment will qualify for a three-month internship placement with OPay and other partner organisations. The internship will give participants practical industry experience, exposure to real business challenges and the opportunity to build skills that prepare them for successful careers in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Itoro Udo, CSR Manager at OPay, said, “The response to the National Innovation Challenge has been truly inspiring. Seeing over 11,000 students come together to develop practical solutions to real challenges reinforces our belief that Nigeria has an incredible pool of young talent ready to shape the future through innovation. Through the OPay Scholars Programme, we are investing beyond scholarships by creating opportunities for learning, mentorship, collaboration and innovation. Together with our partners, Google and the Federal Government’s 3MTT programme, we are committed to helping young Nigerians develop the skills, confidence and exposure they need to build solutions that can create meaningful impact for society.”

Through the expanded OPay Scholars Programme, OPay is building a comprehensive platform that supports students at every stage of their development, from financial support through the ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship to innovation through the National Innovation Challenge, and career readiness through OPay Futures. By combining education, mentorship, practical industry experience and employment opportunities, OPay is developing a new generation of innovators, technology professionals and future leaders who will contribute to Nigeria’s digital transformation and economic growth.

The 48 teams advancing to the next stage of the OPayNational Innovation Challenge are:

OPay Partner Institutions

Thriftly- ABU; Sauti Nexus – AEFUNAI; FixLink – AAU; PortInverter – BUK; VigiVend – BenPoly; Veripay – MOAUM; 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.

Non-Partner Institutions

DrRobot – FUTA; StudifyPro – FUTO; Tower – UNIBEN; NeyoMarket – FULafia; PharmaLink – KASU; SentinelAI -ATBU; DevSpace – CU; Heala Health – Veritas University; DonGyazerh Technologies – FUDutse; 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.