Ten African innovators have been awarded a combined ₦140 million to scale their transformative solutions at the Fifth Edition of the Zenith Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 5.0: Tech for Success – Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate.” The event took place on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, drawing thousands of developers, founders, and tech entrepreneurs from across the continent.
This year’s expanded format introduced a dual-competition structure featuring both a high-stakes Hackathon and a Startup Pitch Competition, attracting over 2,000 entrants to the Zecathon. After an intense final round, two major winners emerged, each taking home ₦30 million in top prizes.
Trust Loop clinched the Hackathon top spot with its breakthrough digital KYC and liveness-verification solution, while Cubbes Technologies Limited won the Startup Pitch Competition with its AI-powered EdTech platform designed to enhance learning outcomes and career readiness.
The remaining eight finalists—Venille Ltd, Sowota, FLOW, InvoPay, Zenith Intelliscore, The Very Hacked Men, Konfam, and Zerax—each received ₦10 million in non-dilutive funding. All ten finalists will now participate in a six-week mentorship and incubation programme running from December 2025 to February 2026 to accelerate product development and market entry.
Okay News reports that the fair opened with a keynote address from Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc. She praised the vision of Founder and Chairman Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, and called on innovators to embrace rapid technological evolution.
“Our theme this year is very timely,” she said. “The next technological breakthrough will not take a lifetime. It could come from any one of you in this room.”
In his goodwill message, Jim Ovia reaffirmed Zenith Bank’s commitment to empowering Africa’s youth, expressing hope that future global tech icons could emerge from Nigeria.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu urged greater investment in youth-focused tech initiatives, stressing that Africa’s rising young population must be equipped with digital opportunities.
“What I see happening here every year are things that leadership must connect with,” he said. “We want to make Lagos the human-capital centre of the world.”
The 2025 fair featured keynote addresses from global tech leaders including Sitoyo Lopokoiyit (M-PESA Africa), Jonas Kjellberg (Co-Creator, Skype), and Dr. Shivagami Gugan (AWS). Participants also attended exclusive masterclasses by McKinsey & Company, Huawei, Check Point, and Microsoft, covering cybersecurity, cloud innovation, and emerging technologies.
Panel sessions, hosted by Zain Asher of CNN, brought together influential voices in Africa’s tech ecosystem such as Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Gary Fowler, Adaora Nwodo, and Aisha Tofa.
Zenith Bank reaffirmed its commitment to building a thriving African tech ecosystem, emphasizing continued funding, mentorship, and support for high-potential founders. The bank’s long list of accolades including repeated recognitions as Nigeria’s Best Bank, Best Commercial Bank, and Most Sustainable Bank.
