Moniepoint has announced a ₦3 billion investment to establish state-of-the-art innovation hubs across three major Nigerian universities: Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).
According to Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-founder and CEO of Moniepoint Group, the initiative is a way of paying the trust forward to the Nigerian university system, which provided the foundational training that enabled him and his co-founder, Felix Ike, to build their successful careers.
Eniolorunda emphasized that scaling Nigeria’s digital economy requires a high density of localized, industry-ready technical talent rather than just relying on potential. By anchoring these world-class technical skills across strategic regional institutions, Moniepoint aims to build a sustainable pipeline of homegrown excellence to power Africa’s digital future.
“When you look at the success of companies like Moniepoint, it’s 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,” he said at the launch of the initiative yesterday.
Each hub will serve as a permanent centre for hands-on training in software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, design, robotics, product development, and entrepreneurship. Open to students across all faculties, the programme will guide participants from curiosity to career readiness through structured, cohort-based learning, mentorship, and real-world project execution.
Open to students across all faculties, the hubs are designed to be practical launchpads rather than traditional lecture halls. Participants will undergo structured, cohort-based learning, execute live projects, and access direct mentorship and internship pathways with Moniepoint’s engineering, product, and business teams.
The launch ceremony brought together vice-chancellors from all three institutions, along with senior academic leaders, industry executives, and student representatives.
Welcoming the partnership, the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, stated: “Obafemi Awolowo University has always believed that knowledge must serve society. This partnership with Moniepoint Group is a powerful affirmation of that conviction. The Moniepoint Innovation Hub will not only expand what our students can learn but also transform what they believe is possible. We are committed to ensuring that every naira translates into opportunity for our students and for Nigeria.”
Other notable dignitaries in attendance include Prof. G.A. Aderounmu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), OAU; Prof. Kamoru O. Usman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), UNN; Prof. Aliyu Sanusi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Advancement, Research & Innovation), ABU; Chinaza Nduka-Dike, VP of People Operations, Moniepoint and Ifeanyi Duru, SVP of Enterprise Network Sales, Moniepoint.
This ₦3 billion commitment builds on Moniepoint’s previous philanthropic and educational interventions. These include a ₦100 million CAD/CAM laboratory donated to OAU’s Mechanical Engineering department by the Tosin Eniolorunda STEM Foundation, and the HatchDev Program at the University of Lagos, an initiative spearheaded by Moniepoint Co-founder and CTO Felix Ike in partnership with the NITHub innovation centre, which trains 500 young developers annually.
According to the company, this initiative reinforces Moniepoint’s broader mission to power financial happiness across Africa. Achieving this, the company believes, requires strategic investments not just in digital financial infrastructure, but in the talent, pipelines driving Africa’s future prosperity.