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By Chinenye Anuforo
Nigeria’s ambition to become a global technology powerhouse will remain unrealised unless the country urgently strengthens structures that support young innovators, UK-based tech entrepreneur, Seun Oshinaike has warned.
Speaking at a recent media briefing, Oshinaike said Nigeria hosts “one of the world’s richest goldmines of untapped human talent,” but continues to underperform because creativity is not matched with infrastructure, mentorship or long-term investment.
Oshinaike, who leads product strategy at Street Tag, a UK health-tech platform recently acquired by Starr Holding Company, said Nigeria has both the population advantage and the innovation culture needed to dominate emerging sectors, if properly harnessed.
According to him, the country’s young population, rising digital literacy and resilient entrepreneurial spirit “are stronger than what many advanced economies can boast of,” yet structural deficiencies continue to slow progress.
He noted that the Street Tag acquisition, which moves him to a broader strategic role, is further proof that Nigerian-born innovation can scale globally when provided with the right environment. The platform, which started in 2017 as a small pilot in East London, now serves schools, families and councils across the UK.
Beyond Street Tag, Oshinaike has built several technology initiatives, including Cypher App for mental health support, Digilab community makerspace, and Maker Room innovation hub in Nigeria, and also manages Mooshi Farm, an agribusiness in Ogun State. He said innovation must extend beyond apps into agriculture, tourism and sectors central to economic growth.
“Opportunities in tech go far beyond coding. Our youths can lead in product design, AI, data science, gamification, agritech and community tech. Nigerians innovate under constraints, this is one of our greatest strengths”, he said.
He stressed that Nigeria’s breakthrough solutions will be those aligned with local culture and behavioural realities. Using Street Tag and Mooshi Farm as examples, he said locally grounded innovation tends to scale more quickly.
However, he cautioned that Nigeria’s ecosystem remains hindered by inadequate support structures, weak infrastructure, fragmented mentorship pathways and short-term funding practices.
“What we need is a system that nurtures, not merely discovers, innovation. Talent density is not our problem; the absence of a dependable support network is”, he noted.
Oshinaike called for urgent education reform that embeds creativity, digital skills, soft skills and critical thinking from early schooling, saying the next generation of African tech leaders must be globally equipped while locally relevant.
He also highlighted fast-growing sectors such as AI-driven learning, agritech, gaming for social impact and remote-work tech, areas where Nigerian youths can thrive without relocating abroad. Street Tag currently employs several Nigerian professionals working remotely in data science, marketing and customer support.
“Innovation has no postcode,” he said. “You can build world-class solutions from anywhere while staying rooted in your community.”
In the future, Oshinaike said he plans to expand Mooshi Farm into an agritech hub combining food production, technology and tourism, while also investing in young innovators and bridging Nigeria–UK tech ecosystems.
“The future, for me, is about building systems that last and stories that inspire the next generation,” he said.
