Cardtonic Awards Tech Prizes to Upskill 4.0 Finalists
The Upskill 4.0 program recognized 88 winners with MacBooks, scholarships, and cash stipends to support African tech talent.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Scholarships
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Cardtonic recently concluded its Upskill 4.0 program, honoring 88 finalists who competed from a pool of 22,000 applicants. The initiative provided winners with resources including laptops and sponsored tuition to help bridge knowledge and hardware gaps.
Why it matters
The program addresses systemic barriers to hardware and educational access for aspiring tech professionals. By supporting the next generation of talent, the initiative seeks to foster growth within the burgeoning African tech ecosystem.
The program awarded 25 MacBooks and 32 full scholarships to AltSchool Africa for top performers. Additionally, 31 finalists received 500,000 Naira consolation prizes, with winners in the scholarship track receiving an extra 500,000 Naira.
The players
Cardtonic
This organization facilitates programs aimed at equipping African youth with necessary skills and hardware for the technology industry.
Usman Balogun
He is a co-founder of Cardtonic who announced additional financial support for the scholarship track winners.
AltSchool Africa
This educational institution provides curriculum and training for students pursuing careers in various technical fields.
The details
Winners across categories such as software engineering, design, and cybersecurity received hardware or tuition support to further their education. For the first time, the competition expanded its reach to include participants from Ghana alongside the primary site in Nigeria.
Timeline
October 17, 2026: Upskill 4.0 award ceremony held.
Culture Shift
This program reflects a broader societal trend of prioritizing digital skill acquisition as a pathway to professional advancement in Africa. It highlights how private entities are stepping in to fill infrastructure gaps where traditional hardware and education access remain limited.
Participants and future applicants can use these programs to gain access to professional training and hardware without traditional cost barriers. The addition of cash stipends further assists winners in covering living expenses while they pursue their education in the tech sector.
The takeaway
These programs provide a viable blueprint for individuals to enter the competitive tech market through sponsored educational pathways. Prospective students should monitor future application windows to leverage these types of hardware and tuition support opportunities.
What happens next
Cardtonic plans to host a fifth edition of the Upskill program in the future.
Further reading
Learn more about academic funding and skill-based support in our Scholarships section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TechCabal.
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