DealHQ Partners announces winners of the 2026 Undergraduate Essay Competition

On Wednesday, 29th July 2026, DealHQ Partners, an Africa-focused transaction advisory law firm, announced the winners of the DealHQ Partners Undergraduate Essay Competition 2026 at an award ceremony held at the Firm’s offices in Lekki, Lagos.

In her welcome address, the Lead Advisor and Founding Partner of DealHQ Partners, Mrs. Tosin Ajose noted that this year’s competition marked a significant milestone as it was opened to law undergraduates across Africa for the first time, reflecting the Firm’s Africa-focused practice and commitment to developing the next generation of legal professionals on the continent.

Speaking on the motivation behind the competition, she stated that the undergraduate legal community remains a vital part of the Firm’s ecosystem and that DealHQ Partners considers it a responsibility to contribute to the development of future legal talent across Africa through initiatives such as the annual undergraduate essay competition.

Speaking on the choice of this year’s theme, “From Barrels to Bytes: Using AI to Re-engineer the Risk Equation in Africa’s Energy Sector,” Mrs. Ajose observed that energy sufficiency and energy independence have become critical priorities for countries around the world.

While Africa is richly endowed with natural resources, she noted that the continent continues to grapple with efficiently managing those resources to meet its energy needs and drive economic growth. She explained that the competition was designed to encourage students to think critically about how artificial intelligence can improve efficiency, strengthen data security and transform Africa’s energy sector.

She further commended the reasoning, innovation and industry awareness demonstrated by the participants, congratulated the winners on their achievement and encouraged them to continue pursuing excellence. She also expressed the hope that future editions of the competition would witness greater female representation among the top-performing participants.

The Competition opened on 21st May 2026 and closed on 17th June 2026. The Firm received entries from law undergraduates across 36 universities across six African countries, namely Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Following the evaluation process, the Top 10 finalists were announced, from which the following winners emerged:

• Michael Olagunwa, a 500-level student of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, emerging as the Winner;
• Youngreen Peter, a 400-level student of Kabarak University, Kenya, emerging as the First Runner-up; and
• Ernest Enobong, a 500-level student of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, emerging as the Second Runner-up.

In addition to cash prizes of US$500, US$300 and US$200 awarded to the Winner, First Runner-up and Second Runner-up respectively, all Top 10 finalists were awarded internship opportunities with DealHQ Partners.

DealHQ Partners extends its appreciation to the distinguished panel of judges, Ms. Adetutu Sanusi, Legal & Governance Manager, Axxela Energy Group (Nigeria); Mr. Abdul Aziz Bensouda, Partner, Amie Bensouda & Co., (The Gambia); Mr. Omoruyi Edoigiawerie, Founder and Lead Partner, EandC Legal (Nigeria); and Ms. Omobola Adekola, Partner and Head of the Africa Trade Practice Group, DealHQ Partners. The Firm also acknowledges the support of its sponsors Axxela Energy Group, Amiie Bensouda & Co. and Learnhub and media partners, Nairametrics and Lawverse, whose contributions were instrumental to the success of the competition.