Zenith Bank Awards Record ₦190m to 13 Winners at Tech Fair 2026

Zenith Bank awarded record ₦190m to 13 Winners at Tech Fair 2026.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Zenith Bank Plc has awarded ₦190 million to 13 winners across three innovation competitions at the sixth edition of its technology event, Zenith Tech Fair 2026: Future Forward 6.0.

The bank said the ₦190 million prize pool is the largest in the history of the Tech Fair. The event was held virtually for the first time on Thursday, November 5, under the theme “AI: Embrace or Extinct.” It drew technology leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and policymakers from around the world to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on businesses, economies and society.

The three competitions, the Hackathon, the Startup Pitch Competition and the newly introduced Future Innovators Challenge, attracted more than 3,000 submissions from developers, entrepreneurs and secondary school students.

The bank said several winning solutions address everyday problems:

• LiveVend (Cutstruct Technology):

  A platform that connects developers and contractors with suppliers to improve construction procurement.

• Sproutly:

  Uses financial technology to simplify school payments.

• PharmaRun:

  Makes authentic medicines easier to access through a network of pharmacies.

• ReLearn (Caleb British International School):

  Redistributes used textbooks to students in underserved communities.

Winners will also join a six-week mentorship and incubation programme to refine their solutions, strengthen their business models and scale up.

“Embrace AI”

In his welcome remarks, Zenith Bank’s Founder, Jim Ovia, said he wants to keep empowering young people through technology, in the hope of producing individuals who will have an impact on the scale of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.

The Group Managing Director/CEO, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, said the next generation of global AI champions can and should come from Africa. She urged participants not to fear AI but to embrace it, and to build ethically and think big, whether they are developing solutions for a farm, clinic, classroom or factory.

She also cited the bank’s investments in digital infrastructure, including its Zenith Intelligent Virtual Assistant (ZIVA), and said its fintech subsidiary, FinoPay, developed the SMART AfCFTA Portal to support intra-African trade.

Government backing

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended the bank for driving innovation and said his government remains committed to supporting the technology ecosystem and keeping Lagos at the forefront.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, was represented by Professor Matthew Adepoju, Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). He stressed the importance of public-private collaboration, saying that when both sectors work in the same direction, ideas become products and businesses create jobs.

Keynote and speakers

The keynote was delivered by Zach Kass, former Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI. He discussed the rise of autonomous AI agents and asked participants to consider what should remain human and what they are willing to automate.

Other speakers included:

• Mike Ogbalu III, MD/CEO, Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS)
• Deniz Oran, Head of Payment Partnerships, Google EMEA
• Jane Egerton-Idehen, MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT)
• Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
• Chinwe Uzoho, Regional Managing Director, West Africa, Network International

CNN correspondent Victoria Rubadiri moderated sessions, alongside other industry experts.

Background

The Tech Fair was conceived by Ovia to support young Nigerians through technology. Previous winners include JumpnPass (a self-checkout solution for retail), CreditChek (AI and open banking for credit verification), TrustLoop (2025 Hackathon winner, with digital identity verification) and Cubbes Technologies Limited (2025 Startup Pitch winner, with an AI-powered education platform).

The bank said the Future Innovators Challenge extends that support to secondary school students, as part of efforts to identify and nurture technology talent early.

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