Michael Olagunwa, a 500-level law student at the University of Ibadan, has emerged as the overall winner of the DealHQ Partners Undergraduate Essay Competition 2026.

Olagunwa was announced as the winner on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, during an award ceremony held at the offices of DealHQ Partners in Lekki, Lagos.

The 2026 edition marked a significant expansion of the competition, as law undergraduates from across Africa were invited to participate for the first time. The move reflects DealHQ Partners’ focus on nurturing emerging legal talent across the continent.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Lead Advisor and Founding Partner of DealHQ Partners, Mrs. Tosin Ajose, described the expansion as an important milestone for the competition and reaffirmed the firm’s commitment to supporting future legal professionals.

The competition was held under the theme “From Barrels to Bytes: Using AI to Re-engineer the Risk Equation in Africa’s Energy Sector.”

Ajose explained that the theme was selected amid increasing global concerns over energy sufficiency and independence.

She noted that despite Africa’s considerable natural resource wealth, the continent still faces difficulties in efficiently managing its resources to satisfy energy requirements and drive economic development.

The competition therefore challenged participating students to examine the potential of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, enhance data security and transform Africa’s energy sector.

Ajose also praised the participants for displaying strong reasoning, innovation and awareness of developments across the energy and legal sectors. She encouraged the winners to maintain their pursuit of excellence.

Competition attracts entries from six African countries

The competition opened on May 21 and closed on June 17, 2026. Entries came from law students studying at 36 universities across six African countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

After the entries were assessed, 10 finalists were shortlisted for the final stage of the competition.

Olagunwa, a 500-level student of the University of Ibadan, emerged as the overall winner.

Youngreen Peter, a 400-level student of Kabarak University in Kenya, finished as the first runner-up, while Ernest Enobong, a 500-level student of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, was named second runner-up.

The competition awarded $500 to the overall winner. The first runner-up received $300, while the second runner-up received $200.

Beyond the cash prizes, all 10 finalists secured internship opportunities with DealHQ Partners.

DealHQ Partners recognises judges and sponsors

Ajose also expressed optimism that subsequent editions of the competition would achieve stronger representation of female students among the highest-performing participants.

DealHQ Partners recognised the judges who assessed the submitted entries. They included Ms. Adetutu Sanusi of Axxela Energy Group, Mr. Abdul Aziz Bensouda of Amie Bensouda & Co., Mr. Omoruyi Edoigiawerie of EandC Legal and Ms. Omobola Adekola of DealHQ Partners.

The firm also acknowledged the contributions of its sponsors, Axxela Energy Group, Amie Bensouda & Co. and Learnhub, alongside media partners Nairametrics and Lawverse, for supporting the success of the 2026 competition.

Source: msmeafrica