OPay has extended the application deadline for its National Innovation Challenge to July 3, 2026, following strong interest from students across Nigeria and requests for additional time to complete submissions.

The fintech company announced that the challenge, a key component of the expanded OPay Scholars Programme 2026, is open to teams of five students from tertiary institutions nationwide.

The extension comes as OPay unveiled a strategic partnership with the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme, aimed at strengthening digital skills development and expanding opportunities for young Nigerians.

Under the collaboration, 3MTT will work alongside Google to provide training during the webinar and bootcamp stages of the National Innovation Challenge, while also helping to promote the initiative through its nationwide network of fellows and communities.

The OPay Scholars Programme is built on the company’s N1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship commitment and has been expanded to include three pillars: the scholarship scheme, the National Innovation Challenge, and OPay Futures, a career and employability development initiative.

Speaking on the development, OPay’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Itoro Udo, said the programme is designed to connect young Nigerians to education, innovation and long-term economic opportunities.

“At OPay, we believe talent is one of Nigeria’s greatest assets. Through the OPay Scholars Programme, we are not only investing in education but also creating pathways that connect young people to innovation, employability, and long-term economic opportunity,” Udo said.

She added that the extension would allow more students to participate and benefit from the training, mentorship and opportunities offered through the programme.

Also commenting, Programme Director of 3MTT, Francis Sani, said the partnership aligns with the government’s goal of building technical talent and creating pathways from learning to employment.

According to him, the collaboration combines public and private sector strengths to equip young Nigerians with future-ready skills, expose them to real-world innovation challenges and improve access to job opportunities in the digital economy.

OPay said the expanded programme, which now brings together its scholarship initiative, the innovation challenge, OPay Futures, Google and 3MTT, is designed to create a comprehensive ecosystem for nurturing talent and preparing young Nigerians for global opportunities.

The company encouraged interested students to take advantage of the deadline extension and submit their applications before July 3.