OPay, a leading Nigerian fintech company, in partnership with Google and the Federal Government's 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, has announced the top 10 teams advancing to the next stage of its National Innovation Challenge, an initiative under the expanded OPay Scholars Programme. The competition aims to empower young Nigerians with the skills, opportunities and support needed to build solutions for real-world challenges. The collaboration places a private fintech, a global technology company and a Federal Government skills programme behind a single talent pipeline for young Nigerians.

The call for applications drew more than 11,000 students and 2,200 teams, underscoring strong interest among young Nigerians in developing innovative solutions to challenges across sectors. After a rigorous selection process, 48 teams were shortlisted for a six-week employability webinar designed to strengthen their knowledge, build workplace-relevant skills and prepare them for the next phase of the challenge. The staged format — from thousands of applicants to a shortlist, a multi-week training phase and a Boot Camp — means the challenge operates as an employability programme in its own right, not just a prize contest.

At the conclusion of the webinar stage, 10 teams emerged as the top performers of the National Innovation Challenge and will now proceed to an intensive Boot Camp. There, the teams will work with experienced mentors and industry professionals to further develop, test and refine their solutions ahead of the final stage of the competition.

Itoro Udoh, CSR Manager at OPay, said the programme focuses on creating practical pathways for young Nigerians to turn their ideas and skills into opportunities.

"Beyond the challenge, our goal is to equip young Nigerians with practical skills, mentorship and pathways to opportunities that can create lasting impact."

The challenge carries a total prize pool of N18 million. Beyond recognising innovative ideas, it offers participants opportunities to gain practical experience, strengthen their solutions and engage with professionals across the innovation and technology ecosystem.

The initiative also opens doors beyond the competition. Students who score exceptionally well during the webinar stage will be considered for the OPay Futures pipeline, which provides access to potential three-month internships with OPay and other partner organisations. For participants, that makes the challenge a potential route into work experience and professional networks regardless of where their teams finish in the final standings.

Through the National Innovation Challenge, OPay is reinforcing its commitment to education, skills development, innovation and employability among young Nigerians. As the top 10 teams advance to the Boot Camp, they move one step closer to turning their ideas into solutions capable of addressing real-world challenges. The milestones to watch from here are the Boot Camp, where the 10 teams refine their solutions with mentors, the final stage that follows, and the selection of standout webinar performers for the OPay Futures internship pipeline.

The 10 teams advancing to the Boot Camp, along with their institutions, are:

• Lyrclip – Miva Open University
• ResearchFlow – Olabisi Onabanjo University
• CampusCheck – Federal University, Oye-Ekiti
• Veripay – MOAUM, Benue State University
• CoursePass – Lagos State University of Science and Technology
• Teamcobuild – Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
• Verified Hands – Ahmadu Bello University
• SkoolConnectNG – Yaba College of Technology
• Thrifty – Ahmadu Bello University
• Team Paye – Adeleke University

More information is available at www.opayweb.com/innovation-challenge/. Updates are also available on OPay's LinkedIn page, @OPay_NG on X and @opay.ng on Instagram.

About OPay

OPay was established in 2018 as a leading fintech company in Nigeria with the mission to make financial services more inclusive through technology. The company offers a wide range of payment services, including money transfers, bill payments, card services, airtime and data purchases, and merchant payments. Known for its fast and reliable network and strong security features that protect customers' funds, OPay is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) with the same insurance coverage as commercial banks.