Wema Bank, Nigeria’s most innovative financial institution and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, is strengthening its commitment to youth empowerment and innovation through Hackaholics 6.0, its flagship tech and entrepreneurship ideathon.
The 2025 edition of Hackaholics has toured four major Nigerian cities — Akure, Zaria, Ibadan, and Lagos, hosting students and young entrepreneurs from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Ibadan (UI), and Purple Academy, Lagos.
With over 3,000 entries received, participants were taken through intensive masterclasses, ideation labs, mentorship sessions, and pitch presentations designed to equip them with the skills to solve real-world challenges using technology.
Each location’s four-day event ended with high-energy final pitches, where three ideathon winners — including a women-led team — and two hackathon champions earned spots at the Hackaholics 6.0 Grand Finale, where they will compete for funding and incubation opportunities under Wema Bank’s innovation ecosystem.
Speaking on the initiative, Wema Bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Moruf Oseni, said the programme goes beyond technology to drive real impact.
“Hackaholics has always been about empowering young people to think differently, create boldly, and deliver solutions that can move our nation forward. The level of creativity we’ve seen this year is truly inspiring,” he said.
Since its inception in 2019, Hackaholics has evolved into one of Nigeria’s biggest youth innovation movements, attracting over 12,000 applicants from 15 institutions and disbursing over $300,000 in funding. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, ₦75 million was awarded to women-led teams, demonstrating Wema Bank’s dedication to inclusion and gender equity in tech.
As Hackaholics 6.0 continues its tour before the grand finale, Wema Bank says it remains committed to building an ecosystem where students, innovators, and young founders can collaborate, grow, and thrive.
Interested participants can visit https://hackaholics.wemabank.com for details and registration.
