Education
InterswitchSPAK 2.0 Hits Airwaves
Interswitch Group, the leading Pan-African payment solution company, commenced the airing of the InterswitchSPAK 2.0 TV show on Saturday, November 2, 2019.
The InterswitchSPAK TV show is another aspect of the Interswitch Switch-a-Future project, a CSR initiative of the company focused on driving increased interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among Senior Secondary School students across Africa.
The first episode of the TV show featured a critical segment of the CSR initiative – The InterswitchSPAK 2.0 Masterclass. This was an engagement session, where the 81 finalists from the qualifying examination interacted with some successful men and women in the society, as they shared knowledge and experiences from school, work and family life to inspire the students.
Mitchell Elegbe, GMD/Founder, Interswitch Group, spoke about the need to be trustworthy. He said to become successful in life, it was necessary to be trustworthy.
Alongside Mitchell Elegbe, other speakers who engaged the students were Dr. Ola Orekunrin-Brown, MD/Founder, Flying Doctors Nigeria and Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade, and Investment, who was represented by Ayokunnu Ojeniyi, Project Manager, Enabling Business Environment Secretariat, office of the Vice-President.
Another highlight of Episode One was the grouping of the students into their respective teams. The students were grouped into nine teams and each team was expected to analyse a problem in a selected sector of the economy, and present the best possible solution to the problem, leveraging technology.
The selected sectors under review included: agriculture, electoral processes and financial services. Each team is made up of nine members, with two team captains who are volunteers from Interswitch. They were to guide and mentor the students as they tried to proffers solutions to the given challenge.
The second episode of the TV show introduced the Innovation Challenge. Innovation Challenge, you wonder? Well, the Innovation Challenge is to inspire and motivate students to think outside-the-box while solving problems and pushing the limits of innovation to address Africa’s many challenges.
So far, Team Mercury has presented their brilliant technological solution after identifying a problem in Agriculture. The team gave a good account of themselves leveraging technology to unite key players in the Nigerian Agricultural system for easy access to goods, information, funds etc.
The winning team from the Innovation Challenge gets the Founder’s Award. Each member gets a laptop and the opportunity to work on the solution at the Interswitch Lab as an intern at Interswitch Headquarters for two weeks.
You will recall that the InterswitchSPAK 1.0 Innovation Challenge was won by Team Neptune who proposed a technological solution in the Nigerian healthcare sector; specifically proposing easier access to National Health Insurance.
Incidentally, Interswitch recently acquired majority stake in e-Clat Healthcare Ltd. As a result of this acquisition, the combined healthcare and payment technology solutions are expected to position the Interswitch Group as both a health-tech solution and payments provider of choice to the healthcare industry going forward.
Another interesting part of Episode Two, is the swift shift from a spirit of camaraderie to that of competition among the team members. After the collaboration to present the solution for the Innovation Challenge, the student will move into another phase of the show for the quiz competition where the nine- member team is pruned down to three for the next stage of the competition.
Sounds interesting, right?
So, would you want to know the next STEM innovators? Do you want to know the team that goes home with the Founder’s Award? Keep watching the InterswitchSPAK 2.0 TV Show. And if you are not already watching, get a seat in front of your TV set again this Saturday.
The show airs on Africa Magic 154 on Saturday, at 5pm till 6pm. There will also be a repeat broadcast on at 2:30 – 3:30pm.
Other television stations broadcasting the show are AIT Network on Saturday, at (7pm) , TVC Lagos on Saturday, at (8pm) and Sunday, at(5:30), STV Jos on Sunday, (6pm) NTA Kano on Sunday, at (8pm), EBS Edo on Sunday, at (4pm), NTA Port-Harcourt on Sunday, at (5pm), DBS Asaba on Sunday, at (7pm)and OSRC Akure on Saturday, at( 6pm).
Each episode will also be uploaded on YouTube, should you miss any.
Amazing right?
Then, join us for the next 14 Saturdays (till February 8, 2020) as we witness the making of another team of African innovators.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 61.54 per cent of candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Mr Amos Dangut, announced the results at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.
Mr Dangut said 1,200,514 candidates met the benchmark for admission to higher institutions, out of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination nationwide, held between April 24 and June 19.
He said 102,708 examiners were engaged in the marking exercise held at 88 marking venues across the country between 2 July and 20 July.
“Today, I am happy to inform you that all the processes leading to the release of results have been completed. It is now my pleasure to announce the release of the results of candidates who sat the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria,” he said, directing candidates to the agency’s portal to access their results.
“UPDATE: 2026 WASSCE (SC) results have been released. Generate your PIN at waec.org and check your results now on waecdirect.org,” the examination body said, noting that candidates must obtain their Serial Number and PIN before they can check their results.
To generate the required credentials, candidates are expected to visit WAEC’s official website and select the “Serial Number and PIN” option at the top of the page.
They are then required to select the appropriate examination year and diet, enter their examination number and National Identification Number (NIN), and ensure that the NIN provided is the same one used during registration for the examination.
Candidates must also provide their email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP).
After entering the OTP, candidates can recover their Serial Number and PIN, which they can subsequently use to check their results through WAEC Direct.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos, were on July 23, 2026, engaged in practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha.
This engagement was made possible through a collaboration between Breathe Life Foundation and Teach Nigeria Fellow.
Participants were students aged 15–19 years. They were also informed about the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education.
By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
The organisation said it is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes, the Obajana Plant of Dangote Cement Plc has distributed some educational materials to some pupils in Kogi State.
The items shared to the beneficiaries included school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, and other essential learning aids aimed at enhancing the learning experience of the pupils and preparing them for the next academic session.
The General Manager for the Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement at Obajana Plant, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, said the materials were donated days after Dangote Cement distributed similar education materials to pupils in public schools in its catchment communities of Oyo, Iwaa, Obajana and Apata; and commissioned a multi-million-naira hospital in Obajana, which added to the growing list of social investments that includes an earlier hospital project in Iwaa and Oyo Communities.
He noted that, over the years, the company has invested billions of naira in a wide range of social programmes for host communities, including empowerment programmes, road construction, and potable water projects, and it remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and expanding its interventions.
He noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes are aligned with government development priorities and are implemented through sustained, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The intervention was informed by findings from a needs assessment conducted by Dangote Cement. During the assessment, it was observed that several pupils attended school without school bags, while others carried their books by hand. It was also discovered that many students lacked essential learning materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils, and other basic learning materials,” the cement firm said.
The Head Teacher of UBE LGEA School, St. Luke Model II, Adankolo, Lokoja Local Government Area, Mr Abubakar Sanni, expressed profound appreciation to the management of Dangote Cement for the gesture.
The Head Teacher expressed gratitude to the Group President of the conglomerate, Aliko Dangote, for extending the company’s educational support programme beyond its host and impacted communities to schools located at the state headquarters.
The beneficiaries, school management, parents, and community stakeholders expressed gratitude to Dangote Cement for the timely intervention and prayed for the continued growth and success of the company in its efforts to improve lives and support sustainable community development.
