OPay Marks Scholarship Milestone, Launches CyberLabs for Nigerian Students

Fintech giant OPay marked the one-year anniversary of its ₦1.2 billion scholarship programme, a 10-year initiative meant to support university students across Nigeria. The theme of the celebration-2025 Empowering Futures Conference-showcased the company’s ever-growing influence in the promotion of education, technology, and inclusive growth across the country.

In a statement on Sunday, OPay restated its commitment to increasing access to financial services and creating long-term social impact through education. The scholarship, introduced in 2024, has remained at the heart of this mission by guaranteeing young Nigerians access to quality learning and digital exposure.

OPay Unveils CyberLabs to Enhance Digital Education

To commemorate the anniversary, OPay announced the launch of its CyberLabs Project with the University of Calabar — the first of many planned innovation hubs under the scholarship scheme. The initiative aims to modernize university tech facilities and eventually equip students with hands-on experience in emerging digital tools.

According to the company, CyberLabs will offer workshops and practical training led by its in-house technology professionals, connecting theory taught in the classroom to real-world innovation. “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,” said Elizabeth Wang, OPay’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Wang termed the CyberLabs Project a complementary step for the scholarship, strengthening Nigeria’s capacity in digital literacy and innovation-driven learning.

One Year of Empowering Students

At the event, OPay confirmed that the first-year disbursement of ₦126 million had been completed, benefiting 420 students from 20 tertiary institutions nationwide. These funds represent the first tranche of its ₦120 million annual investment designed under a decade-long Memorandum of Understanding with partner universities.

This merit- and need-based scholarship aims to ensure the brightest talents from all walks of life have equal opportunities toward quality education. Itoro Udo, OPay’s CSR Manager, reiterated that education remains at the core of the development agenda in Nigeria. “Education is the future of society, and students are the builders of that future. By investing in learning and technology, OPay will continue to play its role as a catalyst for inclusive growth in Nigeria,” he said.

Other university heads present at the event also lauded such commitment by the company. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, represented by Professor Florence Obi, hailed OPay for aligning 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.

Building a Future of Inclusive Innovation Since its launch in 2018, OPay has established itself as one of Nigeria’s leading fintech platforms. With licenses from the Central Bank of Nigeria and insurance cover from the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation in place, the company offers a wide variety of services, which include money transfers, bill payments, and merchant solutions. With projects such as the OPay Scholarship Programme and CyberLabs, the company continues to expand its reach beyond finance in shaping a generation of students equipped to thrive in a digital economy.