48 Nigerian Student Teams Advance in OPay Innovation Challenge

OPay has advanced 48 Nigerian undergraduate teams to the next phase of its National Innovation Challenge after receiving more than 2,200 team applications from over 11,000 students across the country.

The shortlisted teams will now begin a six-week virtual learning and mentorship programme delivered through webinars with professionals from OPay, Google and the Federal Government’s 3MTT initiative. The programme forms part of the broader OPay Scholars Programme, a ₦1.2 billion, 10-year education and innovation commitment targeting tertiary students.

The National Innovation Challenge ranks as one of three flagship initiatives under the OPay Scholars framework, alongside the long-term scholarship track and OPay Futures. Applications opened on May 25, 2026 and closed on the extended deadline of July 3, 2026, requiring teams of exactly five students from accredited Nigerian universities, polytechnics or colleges of education.

Guardian Nigeria reported that the 48 advancing teams split evenly between 24 from OPay partner institutions and 24 from non-partner institutions to ensure geographic and institutional diversity. Evaluators assessed submissions on originality, quality, relevance and potential impact before selecting the cohort.

Selected teams must use Google Gemini and generative AI workflows during the mentorship and subsequent stages. Solutions are required to address one of eight strategic verticals including fintech and digital payments, healthtech, agritech, edtech, mobility, clean energy and smart infrastructure.

After the six-week programme the field narrows to 10 teams that will proceed to the following round. The overall prize pool stands at ₦18 million, with ₦10 million for the grand prize winner, ₦5 million for the first runner-up and ₦3 million for the second runner-up. Additional benefits include prototype development support, national media exposure, expert mentorship and induction into the OPay Innovation Fellowship.

Elizabeth Wang, Chief Commercial Officer at OPay, previously stated that participants compete in teams of five to develop technology-based solutions to real-life problems. Aishat Bolaji of The Radar Nigeria noted that the challenge sits inside the ₦1.2 billion, 10-year OPay Scholars commitment to education across Nigeria.

The partnership with Google embeds AI tools directly into undergraduate innovation processes, while the involvement of the federal 3MTT programme links the private-sector effort to national digital-skills strategy. Half of the shortlisted teams come from OPay partner tertiary institutions and half from non-partner schools, demonstrating the programme’s reach beyond established hubs.

Further rounds will continue to refine the 48 teams through structured mentorship before the final selection. The initiative reflects a growing pattern of Nigerian fintech companies funding structured talent pipelines that combine cash prizes, AI skill-building and connections to government programmes.