I had 15 years of experience, but I still had to start over – Nigerian lady building marketplace and magazine in Canada 

In this edition of Techpoint Diaspora, Abiodun Adetu shares how relocating to Canada forced her to confront the realities of starting over, despite years of experience in Nigeria’s media industry.

For many African professionals, relocating abroad reveals a reality far more complex than they imagine. Years of experience can be lost overnight, forcing even the most accomplished individuals to restart, requalify, and rebuild from the ground up.

This was the reality for Abiodun Adetu, a Nigerian media and communications professional, who moved to Canada with over a decade of experience, only to find that expertise alone was not enough to unlock new opportunities.

Now she’s building Naija Market Day, to bring the energy and familiarity of Nigerian markets into cities across Canada. She’s also running her communications company and an African-themed magazine that documents African stories, food, and tourism.

In this edition of Techpoint Diaspora, Adetu shares her experiences, the challenges of moving to a new geographic location, and how her work contributes value to the continent. 

The backstory

My first introduction to technology was in 1999. Back then, after secondary school, one of the first things people did was attend a computer college, and that was exactly what I did.

At the time, mobile phones were not common, but there was already some level of Internet access. I remember opening a Yahoo email account, which I still use today for personal communication. That moment felt significant.

From there, I went deeper into computer studies and later trained at Oracle, where I learned database analysis. That early exposure shaped how I think about technology today, not as something separate, but as something embedded in everyday work and life.

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