Leading financial technology company OPay has celebrated the first anniversary of its N1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship programme designed to support university students across Nigeria. The event, tagged 2025 Empowering Futures Conference, underscored the company’s broader commitment to education, technology, and inclusive growth.
In a statement on Sunday, OPay reaffirmed its mission to make financial services more inclusive through technology while creating lasting social value. The scholarship programme, launched in 2024, serves as the cornerstone of OPay’s social impact agenda, with a focus on empowering young Nigerians through quality education and digital innovation.
As part of its education-focused initiatives, the company announced the launch of the OPay CyberLabs Project in partnership with the University of Calabar, the first of several technology learning hubs to be established under the scheme. The CyberLabs initiative aims to modernize university technology facilities and provide students with practical exposure to emerging digital tools and global innovations.
According to OPay, the project will feature hands-on training led by its technology professionals to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world innovation.
Chief Commercial Officer Elizabeth Wang described the scholarship as the centerpiece of OPay’s long-term social investment strategy, noting that complementary programmes like CyberLabs will further strengthen capacity development and digital literacy among Nigerian youth.
“Through the CyberLabs Project, we are not only upgrading university technology facilities but also creating platforms where students can learn directly from some of the best minds in the industry,” she said. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between academia and real-world innovation, ensuring Nigerian students are equipped with the knowledge and tools to thrive in today’s technology-driven world.”
Reaffirming the company’s belief in education as a catalyst for national development, OPay’s CSR Manager, Itoro Udo, said the organisation remains committed to empowering students and communities through sustained investment in learning and innovation. “Education is the future of society, and students are the builders of that future. By investing in both learning and technology, OPay will continue to demonstrate its role as a catalyst for inclusive growth in Nigeria,” Udo stated.
During the conference, OPay also announced the successful delivery of its first-year scholarship disbursement, ₦126 million awarded to 420 outstanding students across 20 tertiary institutions nationwide. The milestone represents the first phase of the company’s ₦120 million annual investment under a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding with partner universities.
The OPay Scholarship Programme combines merit and need-based selection criteria, ensuring that brilliant students from diverse economic backgrounds receive equal access to educational opportunities.
Vice-chancellors from participating universities commended OPay’s dedication to youth empowerment and education. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, represented by former VC Professor Florence Obi, praised the company’s efforts to align education with financial inclusion. “When we equip young minds with digital-financial tools, we’re not only supporting their studies, we’re enabling them to meaningfully participate in tomorrow’s economy,” she said.
Since its establishment in 2018, OPay has built a strong reputation as a leading fintech platform in Nigeria, offering services such as money transfers, bill payments, airtime and data purchases, and merchant payments. Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, the company continues to drive its vision of using technology to enhance financial inclusion and empower communities nationwide.
