Zenith Bank Plc has awarded ₦190 million to 13 winners throughout three innovation competitions at the sixth version of its flagship know-how occasion, Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2026: Future Forward 6.0, reinforcing its dedication to nurturing innovation, accelerating digital development and empowering the subsequent era of African know-how leaders.
Held just about for the primary time on Thursday, November 5, 2026, underneath the theme, “AI: Embrace or Extinct,” the occasion introduced collectively know-how leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, policymakers and members from internationally to discover the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for companies, economies and society. The ₦190 million prize pool is the biggest within the historical past of the Tech Fair, additional demonstrating the Bank’s rising funding in know-how and innovation.
The 2026 version featured three competitions: the Hackathon, Startup Pitch Competition and the newly launched Future Innovators Challenge. Together, they attracted over 3,000 submissions from builders, entrepreneurs and secondary college college students looking for to showcase modern options and safe funding to advance their concepts.
In the Hackathon class, Team Solo emerged general winner, receiving ₦35 million, whereas 10x Brains secured second place with ₦20 million. Rumour Hunters got here third with ₦15 million, whereas Òmìnira and Team Avera emerged fourth and fifth, receiving ₦10 million every.
In the Startup Pitch Competition, Cutstruct Technology Limited clinched first place with ₦35 million, adopted by Sproutly, which obtained ₦20 million. PharmaRun secured third place with ₦15 million, whereas AUI BRAND and ProDevs accomplished the highest 5, receiving ₦10 million every.
The Future Innovators Challenge, launched to encourage technology-driven creativity and problem-solving amongst secondary college college students, produced three winners. Caleb British International School emerged first, receiving ₦5 million, whereas Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, got here second with ₦3 million. Regina Pacis International School secured third place with ₦2 million.
Among the successful options, Cutstruct Technology Limited’s LiveVend platform is reworking building procurement by connecting builders and contractors with suppliers. Sproutly makes use of monetary know-how to simplify college funds, whereas PharmaRun makes entry to genuine medicines extra handy by way of its community of pharmacies. Caleb British International School’s ReLearn platform, which gained the Future Innovators Challenge, redistributes used textbooks to college students in underserved communities, making studying supplies extra reasonably priced and accessible.
Beyond the monetary rewards, the winners will profit from a six-week mentorship and incubation programme, offering skilled steerage and sensible help to refine their options, strengthen their enterprise fashions and scale their improvements.
In his welcome remarks, the Founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, reaffirmed his imaginative and prescient of empowering younger individuals by way of know-how and nurturing innovators able to making a world impression. He stated: “My vision is to continue empowering young people through technology, with the hope that one day we will produce individuals who make an impact on the scale of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.”
In her opening tackle, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, OON, highlighted the urgency of embracing Artificial Intelligence and adapting to the quickly evolving know-how panorama. She famous that the Bank’s dedication to innovation is mirrored in its investments in digital infrastructure, services, together with its Zenith Intelligent Virtual Assistant (ZIVA). She additionally highlighted the function of the Bank’s fintech subsidiary, FinoPay, in creating the SMART AfCFTA Portal to facilitate intra-African commerce.
Speaking on Africa’s function within the world AI revolution, she declared: “The next generation of global AI champions can and should come from Africa.” She additional challenged members to embrace rising applied sciences, stating: “Do not fear AI. Embrace it. Whether you are developing a solution for a farm, clinic, classroom or factory, dare to think big, build ethically and create scalable solutions.”
The Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recommended Zenith Bank’s contribution to technological development, saying: “Over the years, Zenith Bank has been a strong driver and enabler of innovation, using technology to advance solutions and raise expectations for its employees, stakeholders and the wider business community.”
He additionally reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s dedication to the know-how ecosystem, stating: “We are also committed to supporting and promoting the technology ecosystem, creating opportunities for innovation and ensuring that Lagos remains at the forefront of this important area of development.”
The Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, represented by the Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Professor Matthew Adepoju, recommended the Bank’s funding in know-how and youth empowerment. He emphasised the significance of public-private collaboration in translating innovation into financial alternatives, stating: “When government and the private sector work in the same direction, ideas become products, products become businesses, and businesses create jobs for our people.”
The Tech Fair featured a distinguished line-up of know-how leaders and business consultants, with Zach Kass, former Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI, delivering the keynote tackle. Examining the evolution of AI and the emergence of autonomous brokers, Kass challenged members to think about the place of human judgement and values in an more and more automated world. He stated: “We are approaching a world in which we will have to ask ourselves, regularly and seriously: what do we want to keep human, and what are we willing to automate?”
Other audio system included Mike Ogbalu III, Managing Director/CEO of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS); Deniz Oran, Head of Payment Partnerships at Google for EMEA; Jane Egerton-Idehen, Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT); Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); and Chinwe Uzoho, Regional Managing Director, West Africa, Network International. Sessions had been moderated by Victoria Rubadiri, CNN Correspondent, alongside different business consultants.
Conceived by the Bank’s Founder, Jim Ovia, CFR, the Zenith Tech Fair displays his imaginative and prescient of empowering younger Nigerians by way of know-how and nurturing innovators able to creating options with world relevance. Over the years, it has advanced right into a platform connecting concepts, expertise, funding and alternatives, whereas giving rising know-how companies the sources and publicity to develop.
Previous winners have gone on to develop options with sensible purposes throughout totally different sectors. They embrace JumpnPass, which developed a self-checkout resolution for retail; CreditChek, which makes use of AI and open banking to streamline credit score verification; TrustLoop, winner of the 2025 Hackathon with its digital identification verification resolution; and Cubbes Technologies Limited, winner of the 2025 Startup Pitch Competition with its AI-powered academic know-how platform.
With the introduction of the Future Innovators Challenge, Zenith Bank is extending this help to secondary college college students, recognising the significance of figuring out and nurturing know-how expertise early. Through the Tech Fair and its broader technology-driven initiatives, the Bank continues to put money into the individuals, concepts and companies shaping Africa’s digital economic system, offering innovators with the funding, mentorship and alternatives to flip promising concepts into impactful options.
