Team ‘Block X’ Emerges HabariPay Squad Hackathon Winner 

Nume Ekeghe

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc Fintech subsidiary,  HabariPay, has announced Team ‘Block X’ as the winner of the Squad Hackathon 3.0, following a highly competitive innovation showcase that brought together some of Nigeria’s most promising young software developers, engineers and AI innovators.

Held at the GTCentre, the grand finale featured cutting-edge technology solutions aimed at addressing critical economic and societal challenges, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, automation, productivity systems and digital inclusion.

The bank in a statement noted that the solution connects informal workers to employers and integrates them into financial services infrastructure. In a typical use case, a bricklayer calls “Tola,” the platform’s Nigerian English voice agent, gets matched to a job opportunity, completes the assignment, and receives payment through Squad. Over time, consistent transactions generate a verifiable financial record that enables access to banking services and credit within 90 days.

Speaking at the event, Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Segun Agbaje, described the hackathon as a platform for developing future technology leaders through real-world problem solving.

“You are the best of the best. Everybody who made it into this room today is already a winner,” Agbaje said. “The world is not ruled by extroverts; it is ruled by thinkers.”

He emphasised resilience, collaboration and ethical execution as critical success factors in innovation and enterprise building.

Managing Director of HabariPay, Eduofon Japhet, said this year’s edition marked the most ambitious iteration of the hackathon to date, with participation increasing more than tenfold compared to previous editions.

“We realised there is still a gap between classroom theory and practical problem-solving,” Japhet said. “This platform is designed to help students build real-world solutions using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and smart systems.”