Anyone who has spent time in tech knows that talent is rarely the problem. More often, it is access. Access to the right tools. Access to quality learning. Access to the kind of opportunities that can change the direction of a career.

For the past years, Cardtonic has tried to close that gap through Upskill, its annual initiative supporting emerging tech talent. 

What began with 15 MacBooks in 2022 has grown into a tradition that many young tech professionals now look forward to. Across three editions, 55 MacBooks have been awarded to promising professionals, helping them learn, create, and do their best work with fewer limitations.

Now, Upskill returns with its biggest edition yet and a little twist. 

What is Cardtonic Upskill?

Cardtonic is a leading fintech platform operating in Nigeria and Ghana, helping people carry out digital operations via their virtual dollar card and other products. But beyond their products, the company has a steady commitment to supporting young people building careers in tech.

That support is Upskill.

It began in 2022 with a simple intention: give promising tech talents the tools they need to grow. That first edition saw 15 people receive brand-new MacBooks.

By 2024, it returned with more weight behind it. Twenty MacBooks went out, alongside financial support for additional participants who were also pushing through their journey in tech.

In 2025, Upskill had clearly become more than an initiative. It had become something the community paid attention to. Twenty M4 Pro MacBooks were awarded to rising tech professionals already building real work, but still limited by the tools in their hands.

Across each edition, the idea has stayed consistent: find people doing the work, and remove one barrier slowing them down.

 Cardtonic Upskill 4.0: A Different Game

This year, Upskill comes with a twist. It comes in two different tracks. 

One track, as it has always been, is for professionals who already have the skills but need better tools to do more with them. The other is a new track for people still finding their way in tech. It is for those who need structured learning and a real entry point into the industry.

Below are both tracks explained in further detail.

The MacBook M4 Pro Track

A laptop is often where tech careers begin. It is where ideas become projects, portfolios come alive, and learning turns into real output. Without it, even consistency can become a struggle.

The MacBook Track focuses on professionals who already have the skills but are limited by the tools they work with. This year, 25 MacBook M4 Pro devices will be awarded across six categories: Software Engineering, Design, Product Management, Content Creation, Data Science & AI Engineering, and Cybersecurity.

For past recipients, the experience is often less about the device and more about timing. One 2022 winner, Ileri Oluwakiiye, put it simply:

“Just the day before, I was coding on my phone, and then came the news that I had won a MacBook.”

That shift is what Upskill has represented over the years. Not the excitement of receiving a device, but the difference it makes when someone finally has what they need to fully match their skill with their output.

The Upskill Scholarship Track

In another world, the laptop is not the problem. The problem is that everything in tech does not make sense.

There is interest, sometimes even consistency. But the path is scattered. A YouTube tutorial today, a random blog tomorrow, a Discord thread that feels important but goes nowhere. Hours pass, progress happens in pieces, but nothing really connects.

It is not a lack of effort. It is the absence of direction.

This is where the difference comes in for this year’s Upskill programme. It was designed for people with this reality.

Through this track, 20 learners will be fully sponsored into diploma programmes at AltSchool Africa, alongside a ₦250,000 stipend per scholar. The programmes span Software Engineering, Data Analysis, Product Management, Design, and Cybersecurity.

AltSchool Africa is a structured, career-focused institution built for African learners. It offers guided learning paths designed to take students from learning into employability. It is not scattered education. It is direction with accountability.

 Who Can Apply for Upskill 4.0

If you are a young tech enthusiast below the age of 30 in Nigeria or Ghana, you can apply for Upskill 4.0, but only for one track.

The MacBook Track is for people who already have the skills and are actively building in tech, but need better tools to work faster and more effectively.

The AltSchool Scholarship Track is for those still learning and trying to build a foundation in tech, who need structured training and a clearer path into the industry.

Applicants are expected to choose one path that best reflects where they are in their journey, as each track is designed for a different stage of growth.

How to Apply for Upskill 4.0

Upskill 4.0 is a merit-based programme. Selection is not random, and every applicant goes through a clear process designed to identify readiness and commitment.

For the MacBook Track, the process includes an application, followed by an assessment and an interview stage. For the AltSchool Scholarship Track, applicants will also go through an application, but the next stage is an entrance exam before interviews.

Both tracks run within the same application period, and applicants are expected to choose only one path when applying.

After the review and assessment stages, cut-off lists will be released, and only successful candidates will move forward to the next phase. Each stage is designed to ensure that selected participants truly match the opportunity they are applying for.

You can start your Upskill journey by applying here. 

Below is the timeline for both tracks. 

 

Milestone	MacBook Track	Scholarship Track
Applications Open	July 28	July 28
Applications Close	August 28	August 28
Application Review	August 31 – Sept 03	August 31 – Sept 03
Shortlist Feedback	Sept 05	Sept 05
Assessment / Altshool Entrance Exam	Sept 12 (assessment day)	Sept 12 (AltSchool Africa entrance exam)
Results / Score Cut-off Announcement	Sept 14	Sept 16
TalentLlama Interviews	September 22 –  25	September 22 –  25
Interview results + Final Selection	September 29 – 30	September 29 – 30
Winners / Scholars Announced	Oct 1- 2	Oct 1- 2
Prize-Giving Ceremony	October 10	October 10

Closing

Upskill 4.0 is not asking for perfection. It is looking for people who are already building, already learning, already trying to get better.

If you are working in tech and need better tools to do your work, the MacBook Track is open to you. If you are still learning and need a structured path to begin properly, the AltSchool Scholarship Track is your entry point. You can only choose one, but both lead to the same place: a better chance to grow.

What matters most is not where you are starting from, but the effort you are willing to put into what comes next.

Four years on, Upskill has become more than a programme. It has become a reminder of what happens when consistency meets belief in people. Cardtonic has not only supported talent, it has stayed with it, year after year, quietly building a track record that speaks for itself.