HabariPay’s Squad Announces Take on Squad Hackathon 2.0, Calls for Young Innovators Across Africa

Lagos, Nigeria – February 3, 2025 – HabariPay’s Squad, the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), has officially announced the second edition of its annual social coding competition, Take on Squad Hackathon 2.0. Building on the success of its inaugural edition, this year’s event will take place from March 13–15, 2025, at the GTCO Training Complex, Tayo’s Plaza, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Launched in January 2024, Take on Squad Hackathon is designed to nurture creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills among emerging tech talents. Participants will use Squad’s cutting-edge APIs to develop scalable digital solutions aimed at tackling economic and social challenges, particularly in underserved communities. The 2025 edition promises to be bigger and more impactful, expanding participation from universities across Nigeria and featuring a broader range of problem statements.

A Platform for Financial Inclusion and Innovation

This year’s hackathon is themed "Finclusion Revolution: Unlocking Access, Empowering Communities", emphasizing how technology can bridge financial gaps and improve economic opportunities for marginalized groups. Over the course of three days, participants will engage in team-building exercises, brainstorming sessions, solution development, and pitching competitions.

Beyond fostering tech innovation, the hackathon will provide university students and young innovators with a unique platform to gain exposure, attract investment, and bring their ideas to market.

Squad’s Commitment to Empowering Young Innovators

Speaking on the upcoming event, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay Ltd, highlighted the company’s dedication to fostering technological advancements:

"The Take on Squad Hackathon reflects our core mission of empowering businesses and young innovators. We believe that the next major breakthrough in technology will come from young minds passionate about solving global challenges. At Squad, we are not just developing innovative payment solutions; we are nurturing a culture of innovation and empowering Africa’s next generation of tech leaders."

Registration, Prizes, and Career Opportunities

Registration for Take on Squad Hackathon 2.0 is now open for teams of four. The top three teams will be awarded cash prizes:

• ₦5 million for the first-place team
• ₦3 million for the second-place team
• ₦2 million for the third-place team

Additionally, standout participants will have the exclusive opportunity to join the Squad Hackademy, a specialized learning program that offers access to industry mentorship, learning resources, and job opportunities within Squad’s network of partners.

Young innovators across Africa are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their skills, collaborate with like-minded peers, and contribute to the future of digital payments in Africa.

For more details and application guidelines, visit https://squadco.com/hackathon.

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About HabariPay

HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of Africa’s largest financial institutions with operations in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom. Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), HabariPay provides innovative payment solutions, including Squad, a comprehensive digital payments platform, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce solution, and value-added services for businesses of all sizes.

Recognized for its contributions to Africa’s digital economy, HabariPay won the Mastercard Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its SquadPOS technology.

About Squad

Squad is a complete digital payments solution that enables businesses to accept online and in-person payments seamlessly. The platform offers multiple payment services, including SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefronts, serving thousands of merchants across Africa.

Find out more at www.squadco.com.