Zenith Bank celebrates tech excellence, rewards hackathon winners with ₦140 million at Tech Fair 5.0
A total cash prize of ₦140 million has been awarded to ten (10) African innovators to scale their
transformative solutions after a keenly contested hackathon and pitch session at the Fifth Edition of the
Zenith Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 5.0: Tech for Success – Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate”, which held
on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island,
Lagos.
The 2025 edition of the Zenith Tech Fair featured an expanded, dual-competition structure that included a
high-stakes Hackathon for product development and a Startup Pitch Competition for early-stage ventures,
and drew participation from thousands of developers, founders, and entrepreneurs across the continent.
The prize money was shared among ten finalists who emerged from the over 2,000 contestants that took
part in the Zecathon. In the hotly contested final, two major winners emerged, each receiving the top prize
of ₦30 million. The winner of the Hackathon, Trust Loop, clinched first place for its innovative solution that
delivers seamless digital KYC and liveness verification. Simultaneously, the winner of the Startup Pitch
Competition, Cubbes Technologies Limited, secured the top spot for its revolutionary AI-powered EdTech
platform that enhances learning and career readiness.
The remaining eight (8) finalists across both categories were equally recognised, each receiving ₦10
million in non-dilutive funding. They include Venille Ltd, Sowota, FLOW, InvoPay, Zenith Intelliscore, The
Very Hacked Men, Konfam and Zerax. All ten finalists will also be entitled to a six-week mentorship and
incubation programme designed to help them grow and scale effectively, and this will run from December
2025 to February 2026.
The Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, OON, in her welcome
address, thanked the Founder & Chairman, Dr Jim Ovia, CFR, for the visionary foresight that led to the
creation of the Zenith Tech Fair. Commenting on the Zecathon, she said, “Our theme this year, ‘Tech for
Success: Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate’, is very timely. To appreciate its urgency, it helps to reflect on the
speed of human progress. According to the Harvard Business Review, it took humanity millions of years to
master fire, yet only 66 years to move from the first powered flight to landing on the moon. The lesson is
simple – the next technological breakthrough will not take a lifetime. It will emerge sooner than we expect
and could come from any one of you in this room today. We are confident that this Tech Fair will produce
innovators who will change the world, and we stand ready to support you to turn your ideas into reality.”
In his Goodwill Message, the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, said, “This fifth
edition reflects our unwavering commitment to create value through technology, innovation, and talent
development. My vision is to continue to empower the youth through technology, with the hope that one day
we will produce the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.”
Whilst delivering his goodwill message, the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr Babajide Sanwo-
Olu, called for increased technological empowerment initiatives to provide youths with adequate
opportunities needed to thrive in the digital future. He said, “What I see happening here every year are
things that we in leadership need to connect with. This is an activation that can bring life and real
conversation to the young, dynamic, innovative, and creative young people that we have in this country. By
2050, half of the youth population in the world will be in Africa, and even in Africa, they will be in Nigeria,
and if they are in Nigeria, they will be somewhere in Lagos, and we need to be able to fish them out. We
need to give them an opportunity and a space to fly. We want to make Lagos the human capital centre of
the world, where Microsoft and Google will think of raising a million tech experts. That’s the kind of vision
and opportunity we want to leave behind.”
Hailed as a resounding success by participants, the Fair showcased cutting-edge demonstrations on the
role of Generative AI, Agentic AI, and Cloud Computing in driving economic growth with Keynote addresses
delivered by Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Managing Director, M-PESA Africa; Jonas Kjellberg, Co-Creator, Skype and
Dr. Shivagami Gugan, Chief Technologist for Middle East, Turkey and Africa, AWS.
The event also featured goodwill messages by the National Commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection
Commission, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, and the Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Governor Mohammed
Umaru Bago, ably represented by the Head of Service, Niger State, Mr. Abubakar Sadiq Idris.
Another key feature from the tech fair this year was the robust exclusive masterclasses delivered by global
technology and consulting powerhouses: McKinsey & Company, Huawei, Check Point, and Microsoft.
These sessions covered critical topics from cybersecurity to advanced cloud solutions and disruptive
technologies, equipping participants with world-class insights.
Aside from the thrilling musical performance by Nigerian musician Spyro, the fair also featured dual-panel
sessions that were very insightful and highly interactive. The panel sessions both had Zain Asher, CNN
Anchor, as host, and featured high-level discussants including Adaora Nwodo, Founder & Executive
Director, NexaScale; Aisha Tofa, Board Chair, Startup Kano Centre for Innovation Dev.; David Kpakima,
CoFounder, Rasab Group, Sierra Leone; Dr Stanley Jacob, President, FINTECHNGR; Iyinoluwa S.
Aboyeji, CEO Future Africa; Gary Fowler, CEO & Founder GSD Venture Studios; Bradwin Roper, Chief
Payments & Partnerships Officer at JUMO, and Mrs. Omoyemen A. JideSamuel, Director, Information
Technology, CBN.
Zenith Bank remains committed to fostering an ecosystem where innovation thrives, ensuring that the next
generation of African tech leaders have the capital, mentorship, and resources required to achieve global
scalability and impact.
The Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards,
including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the sixteenth
consecutive year in the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker and “Nigeria’s Best
Bank” at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025. The Bank was also awarded Bank of the Year
(Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria from
2020 to 2022, 2024 and 2025, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Bank for Digital
Solutions in Nigeria in the Euromoney Awards 2023; and was listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global
Companies in 2023.
Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for five consecutive years from 2021 to 2025 in
the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023
and 2024 Banking Awards. Additionally, Zenith Bank has been acknowledged as the Best Corporate
Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for four consecutive years
from 2022 to 2025 and ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa for four consecutive years
from 2020 to 2023 by the Ethical Boardroom.
The Bank’s commitment to excellence led to Zenith being also named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in
Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year 2023 to 2025 at the
BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and Retail Bank of the Year for three
consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025. The Bank also received the accolades of Best
Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022
Banking Awards, Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper; Bank of the Year 2024 by New Telegraph
Newspaper; and Best in MSME Trade Finance, 2023 by Nairametrics. The Bank’s Hybrid Offer was also
adjudged ‘Rights Issue/ Public Offer of the Year at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025.
Zenith Bank has also bagged several non-financial awards, including Most Responsible Organisation in
Africa, Best Company in Transparency and Reporting and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women
Empowerment at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024.
