Nigerian Founder Takes Scan-and-Go Tech to North America as Enugu Positions for Continental Leadership
Samuel Oyedemi is betting SKAAP, a retail checkout system inspired by Nigeria's Jump n Pass, can succeed in the US market after slow uptake in Canada. Meanwhile, Enugu State signals ambitions to become a leading voice in Africa's technology sector.
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A Nigerian entrepreneur is expanding a homegrown retail technology solution across North America, even as his home continent sees intensifying competition for technology leadership.
Samuel Oyedemi has launched SKAAP, a scan-and-go checkout system modelled after Nigeria's Jump n Pass platform, targeting retailers in Canada and the United States. After encountering sluggish adoption in the Canadian market, Oyedemi is now pivoting to the US, where he believes higher retail density will provide the critical mass needed for the technology to gain traction, according to Techpoint Africa.
The system allows shoppers to scan items with their mobile devices as they shop, bypassing traditional checkout queues entirely. Jump n Pass, the Nigerian platform that inspired SKAAP, demonstrated the viability of mobile-first retail solutions in markets where traditional point-of-sale infrastructure remains inconsistent. Oyedemi's challenge now lies in adapting a solution born from infrastructure constraints to markets where established checkout systems already function reliably.
"After slow traction in Canada, founder Samuel Oyedemi is betting the US and its retail density will finally make it stick," Techpoint Africa reported, highlighting the founder's strategic recalibration toward America's more concentrated retail landscape.
The expansion comes as African states compete to establish themselves as continental technology hubs. Enugu State in southeastern Nigeria has declared its intention to become "a leading voice in Africa's tech space," according to Dr. Prince Lawrence Ezeh, the state's Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, speaking to This Day newspaper.
Ezeh's statement reflects a broader pattern across the continent, where regional governments increasingly view technology infrastructure and innovation ecosystems as essential to economic competitiveness. Lagos and Nairobi have long dominated Africa's startup landscape, but secondary cities from Kigali to Cape Town now actively court technology investment and talent.
SKAAP's North American expansion represents a reversal of the typical technology transfer pattern, where Western solutions are adapted for African markets. Whether a system designed to circumvent checkout bottlenecks in Lagos can find purchase among American retailers accustomed to frictionless payment systems remains an open question. The US retail sector has seen mixed results with similar technologies, including Amazon's cashierless Go stores, which the company has scaled back after initial enthusiasm.
Oyedemi's bet on retail density suggests he believes the economics of scan-and-go systems improve in markets where stores cluster tightly, allowing a single technology platform to serve multiple nearby retailers. That thesis will be tested as SKAAP seeks partnerships in a market where established players already command significant mindshare.