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OPay, one of Nigeria’s leading fintech firms, has revealed the 48 teams selected to advance to the next phase of its National Innovation Challenge after receiving a massive number of entries from students nationwide.

The National Innovation Challenge is among the three flagship projects under the expanded OPay Scholars Programme, alongside the ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship initiative and OPay Futures. The programme underscores the company’s long-term investment in education, innovation, digital skills and youth empowerment across Nigeria.

Applications for the competition opened on May 25 and closed on July 3, with more than 2,200 team entries submitted by over 11,000 undergraduate students from tertiary institutions across the country.

Participants are competing for a share of the ₦18 million prize fund, career mentorship from industry professionals and access to learning opportunities aimed at helping them create practical technology-driven solutions to real-life problems.

Following an extensive evaluation process that assessed originality, quality, relevance and the potential impact of submitted ideas, 48 exceptional teams were shortlisted for the next round of the competition.

The selected teams include 24 from OPay partner institutions and another 24 from non-partner institutions, reflecting the programme’s commitment to giving talented students equal opportunities regardless of their school or location.

Each qualifying team comprises five students from the same tertiary institution.

The successful teams will now undergo a six-week virtual mentorship and learning programme, where they will interact with experienced professionals and industry experts from OPay, Google and the Federal Government’s 3MTT programme through a series of webinar sessions.

The sessions are designed to refine participants’ ideas, strengthen their understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship, and prepare them for the next stage of the competition.

At the conclusion of the webinars, the number of teams will be reduced from 48 to 10 finalists.

Beyond mentorship, the initiative also provides a pathway to career development through OPay Futures, another pillar of the OPay Scholars Programme.

Students from the shortlisted teams who score at least 70 percent in the webinar assessment will qualify for a three-month internship with OPay and its partner organisations.

The internship programme will expose participants to real business challenges, practical industry experience and valuable professional skills needed to thrive in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Itoro Udo, CSR Manager at OPay, described the response to the competition as encouraging.

“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.”

According to OPay, the expanded Scholars Programme provides holistic support for students through scholarships, innovation-driven competitions and career development opportunities.

The company stated that by combining financial assistance, mentorship, practical industry exposure and employment opportunities, it aims to nurture future innovators, technology professionals and leaders who will contribute to Nigeria’s digital economy.

The 48 teams that progressed to the next phase of the OPay National 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.

For additional information, interested persons can visit the programme’s official website and follow OPay’s social media platforms for updates.

Established in 2018, OPay is a Nigerian fintech company focused on expanding financial inclusion through technology.

The company provides services including money transfers, bill payments, card solutions, airtime and data purchases, merchant payments and other financial services.

OPay is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while customers’ deposits are insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) under the same coverage applicable to commercial banks.

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