HabariPay, the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, has crowned Team “Block X” winner of the Squad Hackathon 3.0 after an intense innovation competition that showcased the creativity and technical expertise of young Nigerian software developers, engineers and artificial intelligence innovators.
The grand finale, held at the GTCentre, featured innovative technology solutions focused on solving key economic and social challenges through artificial intelligence, automation, productivity tools and digital inclusion initiatives.
Team “Block X,” made up of Treasure Uvietobore, a Platform and Systems Engineer, Naheem Olaide, a Frontend and Machine Learning Developer, and Enoch Idowu, an AI and Machine Learning Engineer, all from Obafemi Awolowo University, impressed judges with their AI-powered platform known as “Guild.”
The solution is designed to connect informal workers with employers while integrating them into the formal financial ecosystem. Through the platform’s Nigerian-English voice assistant, “Tola,” users can access job opportunities, complete assigned tasks and receive payments through Squad. The platform also helps workers build verified transaction histories that can qualify them for banking services and access to credit within 90 days.
Now in its third edition, the Squad Hackathon attracted more than 1,600 applications from students and young innovators across universities in Nigeria, highlighting the rapid growth of the country’s technology ecosystem. Over 600 applicants were shortlisted based on technical ability, team composition and GitHub portfolio submissions, while more than 500 participants advanced to the final stage of the competition.
Speaking during the event, Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Segun Agbaje, described the hackathon as a platform dedicated to nurturing future technology leaders through practical problem-solving.
“You are the best of the best. Everybody who made it into this room today is already a winner,” Agbaje told participants, adding that innovation requires resilience, collaboration and ethical execution.
Managing Director of HabariPay, Eduofon Japhet, said the latest edition of the hackathon was the biggest so far, with participation growing significantly compared to previous years.
According to her, the initiative was created to bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical problem-solving by encouraging students to develop real-world solutions using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and smart systems.
Japhet also disclosed that HabariPay plans to establish a long-term mentorship and talent development programme that will provide selected participants with training opportunities, tuition support and possible employment pathways.
Another standout innovation at the event was “Tracker,” an AI-powered workforce productivity monitoring platform created by Sherif Sani, a Computer Science student at University of Lagos. The solution uses artificial intelligence to analyse workflow patterns, browser activities and task completion timelines for both remote and physical teams, while maintaining privacy-focused monitoring features.
The event featured coding competitions, live product demonstrations, technical evaluations and networking sessions, with participating teams assessed on creativity, scalability, user impact and execution capability.
The HabariPay Squad Hackathon 3.0 further underscores the commitment of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc and HabariPay to promoting innovation, developing technology talent and positioning Nigeria as a leading digital economy hub in Africa.
