Zenith Bank Plc has actually granted 190 million to 13 winners throughout 3 development competitors at the 6th edition of its flagship innovation occasion, Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2026: Future Forward 6.0, strengthening its dedication to supporting development, speeding up digital improvement and empowering the next generation of African innovation leaders.
Held essentially for the very first time on Thursday, November 5, 2026, under the style, “AI: Embrace or Extinct,” the occasion combined innovation leaders, business owners, innovators, policymakers and individuals from throughout the world to check out the transformative capacity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its ramifications for services, economies and society.
The 190 million reward swimming pool is the biggest in the history of the Tech Fair, more showing the Bank’s growing financial investment in innovation and development.
The 2026 edition included 3 competitors: the Hackathon, Startup Pitch Competition and the freshly presented Future Innovators Challenge. Together, they brought in over 3,000 submissions from designers, business owners and secondary school trainees looking for to display ingenious options and protected financing to advance their concepts.
In the Hackathon classification, Team Solo emerged general winner, getting 35 million, while 10x Brains protected 2nd location with 20 million. Rumour Hunters came 3rd with 15 million, while Òmìnira and Team Avera emerged 4th and 5th, getting 10 million each.
In the Startup Pitch Competition, Cutstruct Technology Limited clinched top place with 35 million, followed by Sproutly, which got 20 million. PharmaRun protected 3rd location with 15 million, while AUI BRAND and ProDevs finished the leading 5, getting 10 million each.
The Future Innovators Challenge, presented to motivate technology-driven imagination and analytical amongst secondary school trainees, produced 3 winners. Caleb British International School emerged initially, getting 5 million, while Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, came 2nd with 3 million. Regina Pacis International School protected 3rd location with 2 million.
Amongst the winning options, Cutstruct Technology Limited’s LiveVend platform is changing building and construction procurement by linking designers and professionals with providers. Sproutly utilizes monetary innovation to streamline school payments, while PharmaRun makes access to genuine medications easier through its network of drug stores. Caleb British International School’s ReLearn platform, which won the Future Innovators Challenge, rearranges utilized books to trainees in underserved neighborhoods, making discovering products more budget friendly and available.
Beyond the monetary benefits, the winners will take advantage of a six-week mentorship and incubation program, offering skilled assistance and useful assistance to improve their options, reinforce their company designs and scale their developments.
In his welcome remarks, the Founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, declared his vision of empowering youths through innovation and nurturing innovators efficient in making an international effect. He stated: “My vision is to continue empowering youths through innovation, with the hope that a person day we will produce people who make an influence on the scale of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.”
In her opening address, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, OON, highlighted the seriousness of accepting Artificial Intelligence and adjusting to the quickly developing innovation landscape.
She kept in mind that the Bank’s dedication to development is shown in its financial investments in digital facilities, services and products, including its Zenith Intelligent Virtual Assistant (ZIVA). She likewise highlighted the function of the Bank’s fintech subsidiary, FinoPay, in establishing the SMART AfCFTA Portal to assist in intra-African trade.
Speaking on Africa’s function in the international AI transformation, she stated: “The next generation of worldwide AI champs can and need to originate from Africa.” She even more challenged individuals to welcome emerging innovations, mentioning: “Do not fear AI. Welcome it. Whether you are establishing a service for a farm, center, class or factory, attempt to believe huge, develop fairly and produce scalable options.”
The Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, applauded Zenith Bank’s contribution to technological development, stating: “Over the years, Zenith Bank has actually been a strong motorist and enabler of development, utilizing innovation to advance options and raise expectations for its workers, stakeholders and the broader service neighborhood.”
He likewise declared the Lagos State Government’s dedication to the innovation community, specifying: “We are likewise devoted to supporting and promoting the innovation community, producing chances for development and making sure that Lagos stays at the leading edge of this crucial location of advancement.”
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, applauded the Bank’s financial investment in innovation and youth empowerment.
He stressed the value of public-private cooperation in equating development into financial chances, mentioning: “When federal government and the economic sector operate in the exact same instructions, concepts end up being items, items end up being companies, and organizations develop tasks for our individuals.”
The Tech Fair included a recognized line-up of innovation leaders and market specialists, with Zach Kass, previous Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI, providing the keynote address. Analyzing the advancement of AI and the introduction of self-governing representatives, Kass challenged individuals to think about the location of human judgement and worths in a progressively automatic world. He stated: “We are approaching a world in which we will need to ask ourselves, routinely and seriously: what do we wish to keep human, and what are we going to automate?”
Other speakers consisted of 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 were moderated by Victoria Rubadiri, CNN Correspondent, along with other market specialists.
Developed by the Bank’s Founder, Jim Ovia, CFR, the Zenith Tech Fair shows his vision of empowering young Nigerians through innovation and nurturing innovators efficient in establishing options with international significance. Throughout the years, it has actually developed into a platform linking concepts, skill, financial investment and chances, while providing emerging innovation organizations the resources and direct exposure to grow.
Previous winners have actually gone on to establish options with useful applications throughout various sectors. They consist of JumpnPass, which established a self-checkout service for retail; CreditChek, which utilizes AI and open banking to improve credit confirmation;
TrustLoop, winner of the 2025 Hackathon with its digital identity confirmation service; and Cubbes Technologies Limited, winner of the 2025 Startup Pitch Competition with its AI-powered instructional innovation platform.
With the intro of the Future Innovators Challenge, Zenith Bank is extending this assistance to secondary school trainees, identifying the significance of recognizing and supporting innovation skill early. Through the Tech Fair and its wider technology-driven efforts, the Bank continues to purchase individuals, concepts and companies forming Africa’s digital economy, offering innovators with the financing, mentorship and chances to turn appealing concepts into impactful services.
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