Pan-African digital payment and commerce solution company, Interswitch Group, has announced the Season 3 premiere of the InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
InterswitchSPAK was designed to encourage students’ interest in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, and to facilitate the use of innovative solutions to solve Africa’s challenges.
For 13 weeks, the show will air at 6.30pm every Saturday on DSTV Africa Magic Family Channel 154, and at 6:30 pm on Sundays on the AIT Network.
Viewers are enjoined to catch the programme and witness the brilliance of Nigerian students as they showcase their knowledge of, and passion for STEM subjects.
The competition attracted thousands of entries from public and private secondary school students across Nigeria , from which 81 students were shortlisted to compete for a total prize of N12.5 million.
The first prize winner will be rewarded with a N7.5 million scholarship prize, among other prizes; the second prize winner will receive a scholarship worth N4 million, while the third-place winner will also receive a N1 million scholarship.
Speaking on the significance of the competition, the MD/CEO of Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe, reiterated the need for more students from Africa to venture into the STEM field and compete on the same stage as their global counterparts.
To build the future of Africa, he said efforts need to begin today, and Interswitch, through its InterswitchSPAK initiative – the company’s flagship CSR initiative, is one step away from achieving this goal.
Adding to that, the Group Chief Marketing & Corporate Communications Officer, Interswitch Group, Cherry Eromosele, said that the global pandemic of 2020 proved that technology and its use cannot be overlooked as the world relies on it for communication, among other things.
“We have identified the need to engage students not only in Nigeria but in Africa, to partake in a future that would benefit the continent and the globe,” she said.
Eromosele added, “InterswitchSPAK remains committed to identifying these bright and high-flying students and providing them with the platform that will not only spur their desire in the STEM field, but will also provide tools and resources to support them.
“We encourage students of secondary school age and their parents to tune in to the program and be inspired by the competition.”
The annual InterswitchSPAK competition continues to encourage STEM education among students in Africa by rewarding bright minds, while driving innovation and offering opportunities to these students.
Oyindamola Aje, a 16-year-old student of Jesuit Memorial College in Port Harcourt, Rivers State defeated eight other shortlisted contestants to emerge the winner of the InterswitchSPAK 2.0 competition. He went home with N7.5 million worth of tertiary education scholarship, a laptop, and a monthly stipend.
Oluwatobi Ojo of Apt Scholars Universal College, Ogun State, emerged as the first runner-up while Onyekachi Madumere of Scholars Universal Secondary School in Ogun State was the second runner-up in the InterswitchSPAK 2.0 edition.
