NIGERIA · EDUCATION
Key Facts
- The winner Khaira Ojima Bala, 15, from Abuja, won a Nigerian national school essay contest.
- The prize She gets 15 million naira, Nigeria’s currency (about US$11,100), for any African university.
- The scale About 15,000 entries led to 20 finalists and five funded winners, all girls.
- The backer United Bank for Africa’s charity arm put up 41 million naira (about US$30,400) in grants.
- What next The foundation wants the contest in all 20 African countries where United Bank for Africa operates.
A 15-year-old girl from Nigeria’s capital has won a university grant worth 15 million naira, the Nigerian currency (N15 million, about US$11,100) for an essay on food security. Khaira Ojima Bala, a student at Metro International School in Abuja, was named overall winner on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at UBA House in Lagos, the head office of United Bank for Africa (UBA), a Nigerian bank that says it operates in 20 African countries.
For US readers, the contest shows how a large Nigerian bank backs schooling. The UBA Foundation, the bank’s charity arm, raised the total prize pool to N41 million (about US$30,400), up from N22.5 million (about US$16,700) in 2025.
What Happened
Twenty finalists reached the grand finale of the 16th UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, chosen from about 15,000 entries. After the judges finished, the foundation named Bala first, Unwanabasi Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School second and Flourish Ndamzi of the University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School third.
Two more girls were funded for the first time this year: God’sfavour Udo of Federal Government Girls’ College, Ikot Obio Itong, placed fourth, and Uchenna Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School in Abuja came fifth. The prizes are N15 million, N10 million (about US$7,400), N7.5 million (about US$5,600), N5 million (about US$3,700) and N3.5 million (about US$2,600).
All 20 finalists received laptops, and each one’s bank account was credited with N20,000 (about US$15). Bala said she was “speechless” and that all she could see were her parents happy.
The Contest in Plain English
The competition is open to senior secondary school students in Nigeria, the last three years of high school, and it now also runs in six other African countries. Entrants first write on a set topic, and this year it was food security: how Nigeria can feed its people.
The 20 finalists then wrote a second essay on how poverty and other social ills feed child marriage in Nigeria. A panel of judges chose the five winners.
How the Contest Has Grown
The foundation’s chief executive said the number of finalists rose from 12 to 20 and the number of scholarship winners from three to five. She said the foundation has spent about N3 billion (about US$2.2 million) on the contest in Nigeria over 16 years.
The foundation has also taken the contest outside Nigeria, to Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Chad and Zambia. She said it hopes to reach all 20 African countries where UBA operates.
What It Means for You
If you follow African banks, UBA is one to know: it says it operates in 20 African countries. The foundation’s 2026 prize pool of N41 million (about US$30,400) is up 82% from 2025.
For readers with ties to Nigeria, the grant can be used at any university in Africa, not only in Nigeria. At about US$0.00074 per naira, the smallest prize of N3.5 million is worth about US$2,600, and every finalist received a laptop.
What Is Not Known
Reports differ on the number of entries, from about 13,000 to about 15,000. The prize pool for the 2027 edition has not been announced.
The foundation has not published a date for the next edition. That leaves the size and timing of the next contest open.
More: Nigeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times. Related: how a Nigerian bank lets firms pay China in naira.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Won the 2026 UBA National Essay Competition?
Khaira Ojima Bala, 15, of Metro International School in Abuja, won the 16th edition. She receives a N15 million (about US$11,100) university grant.
How Much Money Did the Winners Receive?
The five winners share N41 million (about US$30,400) in university grants, from N15 million for first place to N3.5 million for fifth. All 20 finalists also received laptops.
Who Can Enter the Competition?
Senior secondary school students in Nigeria can enter, and the contest also runs in six other African countries. These are Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Chad and Zambia.
What Does the Grant Pay For?
It is a university grant, and the winner may study at any university in Africa. The foundation says it is meant to support the winners through higher education.
Sources: UBA Foundation and United Bank for Africa, statements at the 16th National Essay Competition finale, 10 November 2026; Exchange rate: market-data provider close for the naira against the US dollar on 11 November 2026 (about US$0.00074 per naira).
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