Innovation and entrepreneurship took centre stage in Lagos as the first edition of the Verto Awards honoured outstanding startups shaping Africa’s technology landscape. The event gathered key figures from the tech ecosystem, investors, and media, marking the end of a rigorous selection process that reviewed dozens of early-stage ventures across emerging sectors.
The competition reflected the diversity of Nigeria’s startup scene, featuring solutions drawn from finance, aquaculture, and artificial intelligence. Three ventures emerged as winners, securing cash prizes of 10,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars and 2,000 dollars to support expansion and scale. Beyond financial rewards, the recognition positions the startups for broader visibility within the African innovation community.
Dingpay secured the top prize with its offline-first fintech wallet built to unify payments and identity storage. The solution aims to simplify everyday transactions, especially for users in regions with unstable connectivity, demonstrating how technology can bridge inclusion gaps in financial services. Following closely was Aquatrack, an AI-powered platform that provides fish farmers with data-backed management tools to enhance production and reduce losses. Growwr came third for its artificial intelligence system designed to streamline hiring, team management, and payroll for African tech talent.
The founders described the win as a motivation to push further, with Dingpay’s leadership noting that the achievement validates months of product development and testing. The judging panel consisted of ecosystem leaders drawn from OPay, Providus Bank, DAO Law, and Verto, bringing diverse expertise into the evaluation process.
Verto’s chief executive said the awards highlight the continuous wave of innovation emerging from Africa’s early-stage market, where young founders are using technology to solve real development challenges. The company believes that with increased investment, mentorship, and global collaboration, local startups can scale into continental brands capable of transforming industries.
For Nigeria’s MSME and tech community, the outcome of the awards reinforces the growing potential within digital enterprises, signalling fresh pipelines of talent, solutions and investment-ready ventures.
