By Juliet Umeh

African digital financial platform, Moniepoint, has announced a N3 billion investment to establish innovation hubs across three Nigerian universities in a move aimed at boosting technology education and developing industry-ready talents.

The innovation hubs will be located at Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Ahmadu Bello University over the next three years.

According to the company, the hubs will provide hands-on training in software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, product development, entrepreneurship, and design.

Speaking during the unveiling at OAU, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Moniepoint Group, Tosin Eniolorunda, said the initiative was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy through local talent development.

“When you look at the success of companies like Moniepoint, it is easy to forget that it all started with the foundational training we received right here in Nigerian universities.

“This initiative is about paying that trust forward. Nigeria’s digital economy cannot run on potential alone; it requires immense, localized talent density.

“By launching these Innovation Hubs beginning with OAU, UNN, and ABU Zaria, we are intentionally anchoring world-class technical skills across the country,” he said.

Eniolorunda added that the programme would ensure that opportunities in technology are not concentrated in one region but spread across the country.

Vice Chancellor of OAU, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, described the partnership as a major boost for students and innovation in Nigerian universities.

“The Moniepoint Innovation Hub will not only expand what our students can learn but also transform what they believe is possible,” Bamire stated.

Moniepoint said the hubs would also provide mentorship, internship opportunities, curriculum support, and access to live projects through collaboration with the company’s engineering and business teams.

The initiative builds on earlier investments by Moniepoint’s leadership, including the establishment of a CAD/CAM laboratory at OAU and the HatchDev programme at University of Lagos, where hundreds of young developers are trained annually.

Also speaking, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, urged students to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship, describing Moniepoint’s growth from an OAU idea to a multi-billion-dollar company as proof that global companies can emerge from Nigerian universities.

“The same land where the idea of Moniepoint was conceptualised gave birth to a company now valued at
over $2 billion. That dream should live in each and every one of you,” the monarch said.