Through its InnovateX Hackathon and Campus Ambassadors Programme, Ecobank is extending its youth-focused proposition beyond traditional banking, creating platforms for students to showcase their talents, develop entrepreneurial skills and explore opportunities in innovation.
As young Nigerians increasingly explore opportunities in technology, entrepreneurship and digital innovation, financial institutions are finding new ways to engage with the next generation beyond conventional banking services.
For Ecobank Nigeria, one of these efforts is Blaze, its dedicated youth proposition designed to provide young people with opportunities to express their talents, develop their capabilities and participate in economic growth.
Through initiatives such as the InnovateX Hackathon and the Campus Ambassadors Programme, the bank is seeking to build connections with young Nigerians by providing platforms for innovation, leadership development and entrepreneurship.
The bank’s commitment to this approach was demonstrated at the grand finale of its InnovateX Hackathon, held in Lagos recently, where 20 finalist teams received a combined N22 million in prize money for developing solutions addressing challenges across different sectors.
The competition attracted 168 teams comprising 672 students from 90 universities across Nigeria, highlighting the breadth of interest in innovation among young people in the country’s tertiary institutions.
Following a competitive selection process, 20 teams from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja advanced to the final stage, where they presented their ideas and solutions in areas including financial technology, artificial intelligence, sustainability, digital services, education and enterprise solutions.
Team Vhorde emerged as the overall winner, receiving N5 million, while E-Nation and Konvoy secured the first and second runner-up positions with N4 million and N3.5 million respectively. Kredo and Aselabs finished third and fourth runners-up.
All 20 finalist teams received financial rewards, with even the team placed 20th receiving N500,000. The distribution of the N22 million prize pool reflected the bank’s intention to recognise innovation and encourage young people to continue developing their ideas.
Speaking at the event, Kola Adeleke, executive director, Commercial and Consumer Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, said InnovateX was established to give young Nigerians a platform to transform ideas into practical solutions to real-world challenges across banking, technology, business and society.
He noted that the diversity of ideas presented at the competition demonstrated the breadth of innovation among young Nigerians and the potential of their contributions to economic development.
According to Adeleke, the initiative goes beyond identifying competition winners, with the bank seeking to nurture ideas, develop entrepreneurial capabilities and connect promising innovators with the resources, mentorship and networks required to succeed.
He emphasised that young people were not merely future leaders but active contributors to innovation and economic growth today.
As a pan-African financial institution, he added, Ecobank recognises digital transformation and innovation as important drivers of expanded financial access, improved services and sustainable economic value.
The InnovateX Hackathon is driven by Blaze, which Victor Yalokwu, head, Products and Analytics, Ecobank Nigeria, described as the bank’s dedicated youth proposition and a platform for young people to express their talents, ideas and abilities.
According to Yalokwu, Blaze is designed to create opportunities that empower the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, with InnovateX extending that commitment through a structured innovation challenge.
Beyond the hackathon, the proposition also includes the Campus Ambassadors Programme, which provides students with stipends and opportunities to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills while representing the bank on their respective campuses.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate Ecobank’s approach to engaging young Nigerians through opportunities that extend beyond financial products and services.
The involvement of Heave Ventures and Verve as partners in the InnovateX Hackathon also brought together different organisations in delivering the innovation challenge.
For the participating students, the competition provided an opportunity to present their ideas, demonstrate their capabilities and gain recognition for their work.
Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Henry Uti of Team Vhorde described the victory as both an honour and a motivation for the team.
He said the competition had demonstrated the capacity of young Nigerians to develop solutions capable of transforming industries and improving lives, while expressing appreciation to Ecobank, Blaze, Heave Ventures and Verve for providing the platform.
The broader significance of initiatives such as InnovateX lies in their potential to connect young innovators with institutions and opportunities that can support their entrepreneurial ambitions.
For students with promising ideas, access to platforms where they can demonstrate their solutions, receive recognition and engage with industry participants represents an important opportunity to develop their capabilities.
For financial institutions, such engagement also creates avenues to understand the aspirations of younger customers and support the development of solutions relevant to an increasingly digital economy.