Nigerian Fintech Giant OPay Expands Scholarship Programme with Innovation Challenge

OPay, a leading fintech company in Nigeria, has launched its flagship scholarship programme for 2026, called OPay Scholars. The program continues OPay's ₦1.2 billion, 10-year commitment to support education across Nigeria.

The scholarship program now includes an Innovation Challenge, which is a partnership with Google and OPay Futures. This addition aims to empower students with practical skills, encourage problem-solving, and prepare them for real-world opportunities.

The Innovation Challenge will reward outstanding ideas and solutions from students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria. To participate, applicants must apply as a team of five undergraduate students from any tertiary institution in Nigeria. Each team is expected to identify a real-life problem and present a technology-driven solution to address it. Applicants must have downloaded the Gemini App and initiated basic prompts within Gemini.

The grand prize winner will receive ₦10 million, the first runner-up will receive ₦5 million, and the second runner-up will receive ₦3 million. Beyond the prizes, participants will benefit from a structured webinar and bootcamp, which will focus on building practical skills, exposing students to industry knowledge, and preparing them for future career opportunities.