Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), through its Habaripay fintech subsidiary, has empowered and mentored select university students across Nigeria through its Squad Hackathon programme.
The programme aimed at producing a competent workforce in the fintech industry and innovative solutions to solve the country’s financial digital challenges.
This year’s edition, (Squad Hackathon 2.0) of the three-day programme, which was held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was themed, ‘Finclusion Revolution: Unlocking Access, Empowering Communities’.
The programme organisers, while introducing the about 64 students selected from 20 universities across Nigeria and grouped into 20 teams, each team comprising two to four students, noted that HabariPay is one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa, operating in 10 African countries and the United Kingdom.
Eduophon Japhet, the Managing Director of HabariPay, said she was happy that Squad Hackathon 2.0 had more female participants as against the first edition, held last year, which had only one female. She was particularly happy with an all-female team from Mountain Top University, which she said is commendable, given that STEM and tech are considered careers predominately for males.
Japhet stated that the Squad Hackathon was designed to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills among emerging tech talents, who would create scalable digital solutions that not only improve their immediate communities but also contribute to addressing wider economic and social concerns.
“Squad Hackathon reflects our core mission of empowering businesses and young innovators. We believe that the next big breakthrough in technology will come from young minds who are passionate about solving current and emerging universal challenges.
“At Squad, we are not just building cutting-edge payment solutions for our clients; we are nurturing a culture of innovation and empowering the next generation of tech leaders in Africa,” Japhet said.
Aboyomi Oni, Head of Switching and Partnership, HabariPay, spoke on the theme of the Squad Hackathon 2.0, emphasising financial inclusion and exclusion and how to make more Nigerians and Africans financially inclusive in the fintech and digital economy.
Oni told the students that the current generation of Nigerians and Africans prioritise bespoke digital solutions that are fast and efficient. He further told them that they should leverage the technology that Squad offered to produce the best solution they could think of.
“When building your solutions, build based on what people actually need, not what you think they need. Let your solutions reach people where they eat, chill, live, learn, and work,” he told the students.
Two participants of the first edition of the Squad Hackathon spoke about their experience in the programme and encouraged the current participants.
The hackathon featured onboarding, team-building activities, brainstorming and hacking sessions, and solution development.
At the end of the hackathon contest, Team Savvy, comprising Covenant Joshua Adeosun from the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ayodeji Samuel Adeyemi from Ekiti State University; and Favour Ayomide Adebayo from Achievers University came first. Team Farmceries, comprising Saka Suliat, Basit Balogun, and David Fadeyi, all from the University of Lagos, came second; while the third position went to Team TBD, comprising Abiodun Oluwamurewa, Leslie Young, and Emmanuel Adewole, all from the University of Ibadan.
Beyond the grand prizes — ?5 million for first place, ?3 million for second place, and ?2 million for third place — standout participants will have the exclusive opportunity to join the Squad Academy.
The organisers added that, apart from the cash prizes, the Squad initiative also provides young innovators with access to comprehensive learning resources, expert mentorship, and exclusive job opportunities within Squad’s ecosystem of partners.
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