OPay selects 10 teams for N18m student innovation challenge

OPay has selected 10 teams to advance to the boot-camp stage of its National Innovation Challenge, an initiative run in partnership with Google and the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme. The challenge attracted more than 11,000 students organised into 2,200 teams. Following the application process, 48 teams took part in a six-week employability webinar designed to strengthen workplace skills and prepare participants for the next phase.

Ten teams emerged from the webinar stage and will now work with mentors and industry professionals at an intensive boot camp. They are expected to further develop, test and refine their solutions before the final stage of the challenge. Itoro Udoh, OPay’s CSR manager, said the programme aimed to give young Nigerians practical skills, mentorship and pathways to opportunities.

OPay described the initiative as part of its expanded OPay Scholars Programme. The challenge has a total prize pool of N18m. Organisers said it was intended not only to reward ideas but also to provide participants with practical experience and access to professionals in the innovation and technology sectors.

Students who performed exceptionally well during the webinar stage may be considered for the OPay Futures pipeline. That pathway could provide access to potential three-month internships with OPay and other partner organisations. The 10 teams are Lyrclip, ResearchFlow, CampusCheck, Veripay, CoursePass, Teamcobuild, Verified Hands, SkoolConnectNG, Thrifty and Team Paye.

They represent institutions including Miva Open University, Olabisi Onabanjo University, the University of Abuja? and other Nigerian universities and colleges listed by OPay.