Wema Bank, Nigeria’s most innovative financial institution and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has reaffirmed its commitment to youth innovation and entrepreneurship through the sixth edition of its flagship campus ideathon, Hackaholics 6.0.
The nationwide innovation challenge has toured four major cities; Akure, Zaria, Ibadan, and Lagos engaging students and young entrepreneurs at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, University of Ibadan (UI), and Purple Academy, Lagos.
So far, the initiative has attracted over 3,000 entries, with hundreds of participants in each city taking part in intensive four-day bootcamps featuring masterclasses, mentorship sessions, and pitch competitions. Each event concluded with final pitch sessions where top-performing teams were selected for the upcoming Hackaholics 6.0 Grand Finale.
In every location, three ideathon winning teams, including at least one women-led group, and two hackathon teams qualified for the finale, where they will compete for funding and support from Wema Bank’s innovation ecosystem to scale their solutions.
Speaking on the success of the initiative, Mr. Moruf Oseni, Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank, said:
“Hackaholics has always been about more than technology. It is about empowering young people to think differently, create boldly, and contribute solutions that can move our industry and nation forward. The level of talent and creativity we have witnessed so far reinforces why we continue to invest in this programme.”
Since its inception in 2019, Hackaholics has become one of Nigeria’s largest youth innovation platforms. To date, the program has engaged over 12,000 applicants from 15 tertiary institutions, disbursing over $300,000 in funding, including ₦75 million awarded to women-led teams between 2023 and 2024.
Through Hackaholics, Wema Bank continues to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem by creating opportunities for students, startups, and early-stage founders to collaborate, learn, and grow.
As the Hackaholics 6.0 tour continues to new locations ahead of the Grand Finale, the bank has encouraged students and innovators to register via hackaholics.wemabank.com to participate and showcase their ideas.