Technology
WEMA BANK UNVEILS TOP 25 FINALISTS FOR HACKAHOLICS 4.0 GRAND FINALE

Nigeria’s foremost innovative bank and leading financial institution, Wema Bank, has unveiled the top 25 finalists that will be competing for over N50,000,000 cash prize in the grand finale of Hackaholics 4.0, happening live at the maiden edition of the Africa’s largest gathering of technology experts and digital revolutionaries; the Hackaholics Digital Summit, on Friday, October 6, 2023, in Lagos.
The Top 25 finalists are: Daniel Babalola for Team Talo, Adeniyi Daniel for Team TouchNut, David Campbell for Team Naija Box, Ebulue Ifeanyichukwu Henry for Team Raptor, Jane Agbaohwo for Team Ireti, Raphael Fynecontry for Team Qevolt Limited, Oluwayemi Victoria Oluwapelumi for Team Crox Technologies Limited, Joshua Mosinmiloluwa Ajadi for Team District 7, Bonojo Adedayo for Team Pup Industries, Tochukwu Ifeanyi for Team Outsidee, Olukayode Fadairo for Team mumAlive, Kingsley Obasi for Team Telehealth Support, Seriki Sogo for Team SitiPass, Efemena Hilda Onovre for Team Nadir, Oluwatimilehin Ogunme for Team Trakka, Nelson Nelson-Atuonwu for Team Grip, Godfrey Ayaosi for Team Afrilingo, Oluwatoyin Ajayi for Team Travel Buddy, Gift Akobundu for Team Shopalz Chai, Olabanji Taiwo for Team Waste2Life, Macaulay Precious Teinna for Team Chekka Inc., Gladness Akinpelu for Team Oak, Victor Ojo for Team Favorite Doctor, Idiare Grace for Team VarsityScape and Damilare Ololade for Team UniversityX.
Hackaholics is Wema Bank’s youth & start-up focused initiative designed to provide a platform for young innovators with game changing, tech-driven ideas and products, to bring their creative ideas to life, hone their skills and gain a competitive edge in the global technology and digital space. Since its launch in 2019, Hackaholics has toured the six geo-political zones in Nigeria including 37 universities across Africa, sourcing creative undergraduate students, youth and start-ups, challenging them to innovate and create practical solutions to real-life problems, using technology.
Since inception, at least 300,000 lives and businesses across the country have leveraged the visionary hackathon to make their big break into the tech industry and transform their passion for technology into sustainable sources of income, earning grants of over $200,000 from Wema Bank. The ongoing 4th edition of Hackaholics, dubbed Hackaholics 4.0: Reimagine, has seen participants pitch compelling creative ideas for impactful solutions that would ease struggles across 10 different areas of human life: Education, Climate, GovTech, Health, Gender-based Violence, Financial Inclusion, Entertainment, Fintech, Insurance and CivicTech. Now pared down to 25, the best performing contestants have been unveiled as the Top 25 finalists in the Hackaholics 4.0 competition.
The legendary Hackaholics grand finale week is here, and the finalists have convened in Lagos for a week-long programme of strategic digital empowerment activities, carefully curated by Wema Bank. Over the first few days, finalists received one-of-a-kind executive mentorship from renowned national and global technology corporations like Microsoft, KPMG, Samsung, Paystack, Flutterwave and Dream Space, among others. This would equip them with hands-on insight and prepare them for the Hackaholics 4.0 grand finale pre-pitch on Thursday 5th October 2023, where the pre-pitch judges will select the Top 10 finalists that would compete in the Hackaholics 4.0 grand finale. The winners will be chosen at the grand finale on Friday 6th October 2023, through a rigorous selection process anchored by an esteemed panel of 3 judges: Ireayomide Oladunjoye, the MD/CEO of Endeavor Africa, Adeoluwa Akomolafe, the Chief Information Officer of Wema Bank and Ayodele Olojede, Wema Bank’s Divisional Head, Retail and SME.
Once again, Wema Bank raises the bar for holistic banking and financial services in Nigeria, with over N50,000,000 cash prize distributed across 5 categories; The winner gets N15,000,000, 1st runner-up gets N10,000,000, 2nd runner-up gets N7,000,000, N5,000,000 is reserved for any female-led team to encourage more women to key into tech, while N22,000,000 is disbursed in University Stem endowment.
Wema Bank is undeniably the foremost organisation in Nigeria to host a campus-based ideathon of this magnitude for young Nigerians across Nigeria. With each solution, partnership and initiative, the pioneering financial institution continues to orchestrate a seamless financial, economic and digital innovation ecosystem to enhance Nigerian lives and businesses, support goals and drive economic growth and national development.
Technology
It’s finally here! Introducing Instagram for iPad, designed for bigger screens
Today, we’re excited to announce we’re bringing Instagram to iPad. People have asked for this for a while, and we’ve taken the time to design an experience that optimizes your favorite parts of Instagram for a bigger screen.Sit back, relax, and watch Reelsimage.pngInstagram has always been the place where people connect over creativity, and Reels has become a primary way people discover and share entertaining content. With Instagram for iPad, we’ve redesigned the experience to reflect how people use bigger screens today – for lean back entertainment. Now, when you open the app, you’ll drop into Reels, so you can get the entertaining content you love on a bigger screen. You’ll also see Stories at the top, so you can easily connect with the people that matter to you, and messaging is one tap away.image.pngWe’ve heard your requests for easier ways to make sure you’re not missing updates from your favorite accounts, so we’re introducing a new “Following” tab on iPad, which gives you multiple ways to see the latest and greatest from the accounts you follow:All: Recommended posts and reels from accounts you followFriends: Recommended post and reels from accounts you follow, that follow you backLatest: Chronological posts and reels from accounts you follow, with the most recent posts appearing first.You can choose the order of these feeds to prioritize what you want to see first.
Technology
Meta Hosts its First Youth Summit in Nigeria to Drive Innovation and Empowerment
A cross-section of some of the attendees and the Meta team.November 26, 2024 – Lagos, Nigeria: Meta recently hosted its first Youth Summit in Lagos, Nigeria, bringing together over 200 young professionals, students, recent graduates, creatives, tech enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs. Themed ‘Empowering Youth Through Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship’, the summit included a series of thought-provoking panel discussions, a mentoring session and an interactive workshop designed to equip young Nigerians with the skills, insights and networks needed to thrive in today’s tech-driven world. Commenting about the event, Phil Oduor, Head of Policy Programs, Sub-Saharan Africa said, “At Meta, we believe that today’s youth are tomorrow’s change-makers. Through initiatives like the Youth Summit, we aim to foster innovation, promote digital literacy and empower young Nigerians with the tools and opportunities to realise their potential and contribute to Nigeria’s growing digital economy.”Delivering the keynote address, Femi Aluko, CEO/Co-Founder, Chowdeck, shared his journey of breaking barriers to achieve success in tech. He encouraged attendees to embrace the limitless opportunities within today’s technology ecosystem. A panel discussion, led by Chinny Francis, Public Policy Manager at Meta, featured panellists Nifemi Akinwamide, Head of Operations, Alt School; Adaora Mbelu, Co-Founder of Lumination Global and Obaloluwa Adeagbo, Marketing Lead at Talstack. They shared valuable insights about the future of work, emphasising the importance of storytelling to build a personal brand, practicing self-awareness, developing soft skills, lifelong learning and honing problem-solving skills to thrive in a digitally transformed world.Francis Sani, Technical Adviser for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Capital at the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, spoke at the event. He highlighted the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program, emphasising that the program aims to build Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to drive the digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter. He encouraged youth to take advantage of this opportunity.Another panel of industry experts took the stage during the ‘Lunch and Learn: Navigating Entrepreneurship in a Rapidly Changing Landscape’ session, moderated by Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa at Meta. Seye Bandele, CEO of PaidHR and Damilola Teidi-Ayoola, Head of Platform and Networks at Ventures Platform Fund, shared their invaluable insights. Seye highlighted the importance of grit, curiosity and candour, while Damilola reinforced the need to understand one’s target audience, deliver value through their business and embrace data-driven decision-making in the dynamic entrepreneurial landscape. The event also featured inspiring conversations with leading figures in the creative industry. Miss Techy, an award winning tech content creator and Salem King, a creator, storyteller, author and speaker, shared their experiences and advice on achieving long-term success. Attendees also benefited from an interactive workshop and a mentoring session, where industry experts shared practical advice and strategies for entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts.Meta’s Youth Summit 2024 highlights a commitment to driving positive change, championing youth empowerment and advancing economic opportunities in Nigeria. Through investments in key areas—such as the creative industry, digital literacy, economic impact and youth job training—Meta is dedicated to empowering young Nigerians to thrive in today’s tech-driven world.A group of people posing for a photoDescription automatically generatedCross-section of some of the attendees at the Meta Youth Summit 2024 in LagosA group of people standing on a stageDescription automatically generatedL-R: Chinny Francis, Public Policy Manager, Meta; Nifemi Akinwamide, Head of Operations, Alt School; Adaora Mbelu, Co-Founder of Lumination Global and Obaloluwa Adeagbo, Marketing Lead at Talstack.A group of people sitting on a stageDescription automatically generatedL-R: Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa, Meta; Damilola Teidi-Ayoola, Head of Platform and Networks, Ventures Platform Fund, and Seye Bandele, Chief Executive Officer, PaidHR during the Lunch and Learn: Navigating Entrepreneurship in a Rapidly Changing Landscape panel session.A person and person standing on a stageDescription automatically generatedSalem King, a creator, storyteller, author and speaker and Miss Techy, an award winning tech content creator A group of people sitting at tablesDescription automatically generatedDuring a mentoring session workshopA person standing on a stageDescription automatically generatedFemi Aluko, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Chowdeck.A person standing at a podiumDescription automatically generatedFrancis Sani, Technical Adviser to the minister of communications and digital economy of Nigeria
Technology
Introducing Filters and Backgrounds for Video Calls
Conversations on WhatsApp should always feel fun and expressive and today, we’re rolling out filters and backgrounds to make your video calls even more engaging. With these new effects, you can now change your background or add a filter during a video call for a more personal touch.
Filters are designed to help you create a more playful atmosphere, whether that’s adding a splash of color or creating a more artistic feel for your video. With backgrounds, you can keep your surroundings private and transport yourself to a cozy coffee shop or comfortable living room for a more clean and polished look.
With 10 filters and 10 backgrounds to choose from, you can select and mix a wide range of options to create a unique look. Filter options include Warm, Cool, Black & White, Light leak, Dreamy, Prism light, Fisheye, Vintage TV, Frosted glass and Duo tone. Background options include Blur, Living room, Office, Cafe, Pebbles, Foodie, Smoosh, Beach, Sunset, Celebration and Forest.
We’re also adding Touch up and Low Light options that can help you feel more confident and comfortable by naturally enhancing the look and brightness of your environment, making your video calls more vibrant and enjoyable.
To access these during a 1:1 or group video call, select the effects icons on top right of the screen to see the selection of filters and backgrounds and choose the one that suits your mood.
These effects will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.
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