Chima Nwokoji
One of Nigeria’s most innovative banks, Wema Bank Plc has opened application entries for the fourth edition of its tech talent discovery and nurturing project among university students called Hackaholics 4.0.
Announcing the commencement of entries for Hackaholics 4.0 at a press conference on Tuesday in Lagos, the bank’s Executive Director, Digital Services. Mr Tunde Mabawonku said just as the bank is innovating, it is also helping individuals and organisations to innovate to make the country better.
“Just as we redefined experiential banking with ALAT, Hackaholics is at the heart of our innovative project for start-ups. We are poised to host the largest campus hackathon this year.
“As we plan the next eight decades of Wema Bank, we need to innovate and help encourage others to innovate. We try to get the best and brightest and give the country ideas on how to transform our organisations to become world-class”, he said.
This year’s Hackaholics which is focusing on building finance beyond technology will be looking for entries with innovative solutions on how to solve gender violence and promote entertainment, among others.
Mabawonku said the bank, through the project, would be engaging 10000 tech entrepreneurs, producing 5000 solutions, creating 6 pitch centres and having almost I million footfalls during the campaign
Also speaking, the bank’s Chief Digital Officer, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi said the bank has successfully disrupted the digital banking ecosystem by producing the first digital bank and creating unique experiential banking with ALAT.
“We have been driving with the mindset of innovation. We are looking to be an ecosystem of platforms, a hub for fintech and other players. We are moving to the next phase of digital unbundling”, Adeniyi said.
The Chief Transformation Officer of the bank. Mr Babatunde mini, going down memory lane, said the Hackaholics programme began in 2019 and its scope and teaching had since been expanded.
Mumini said the bank has been involved in creating solutions that solve society’s problems, just as it is leveraging the skills of young people to drive innovation.
The Banks’ Head of Innovation, Solomon Ayodele, said six universities would be covered this year as against three last year. The universities are Babcock University and Lagos State University. The University of Abuja. The University of Benin, the Federal University of Tech, Akure, and the University of Lagos.
“We would partner with Microsoft garage, AWS for start-up (Amazon) and Endeavour Africa in facilitating incubation sessions.
“Application should contain the name of the solution. Vertical, summary of your answer, competitors, and Target customers. Team formation. Capital investment management and leadership.
“Everyone is welcome and can apply. No matter if you are a young entrepreneur, a professional, or a student. You don’t have to be a programmer and you certainly don’t need to have a degree in Computer Science. The problem to be solved would be around any of the verticals listed,” Ayodele added.
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