Busayo O .Morakinyo
Over a decade of shaping how citizens across Africa and the United Kingdom engage with governance, public institutions, and civic innovation.
Closing the Accountability Gap
How technology can bridge the chasm between government spending decisions and the communities those decisions are meant to serve. Drawing on a decade of building civic tech platforms across Africa.
From Movement to Institution
How community-led movements can translate into lasting systemic institutional change, and why this transition is the hardest and most important part of social innovation.
Youth as Democratic Agents
How young people can be activated as genuine agents of democratic transformation, not passive recipients, but co-architects of the systems that shape their lives.
Built on
Innovation
"I have devoted the last decade of my career to being a front-line proponent of accountability, good governance, and community-led innovation, first in Africa, now in the United Kingdom."
Busayo O. Morakinyo (BOM) is a civic technology strategist, social accountability leader, and community builder whose work over the past decade has fundamentally shaped how citizens in Africa and now the United Kingdom engage with governance, public institutions, and civic innovation.
His career combines three strategic competencies: civic technology product development, grassroots movement building, and the design of institutions that give communities lasting agency over decisions that affect their lives.
From building Africa's most influential citizen-led accountability movement to founding two organisations in the UK advancing civic innovation and minority entrepreneurship, Busayo's trajectory reflects a singular conviction: sustainable change requires both civic participation and economic agency.
Building Across
Continents
2015 — 2022 / Nigeria & Africa
Building Africa's Most Influential Accountability Movement
As Director at Connected Development (CODE), Busayo led FollowTheMoney into the fastest-growing social accountability movement in Africa, reaching 10,000+ users across all 36 Nigerian states and 12 additional countries.
- —$3M+ in grants and revenue raised
- —40+ person team across Nigeria and Africa
- —300+ social accountability campaigns
- —800% platform growth in two years
- —COVID-19 vaccine transparency monitoring
2023 — Present / United Kingdom
Building Institutional Infrastructure for Civic Change in the UK
After relocating to the United Kingdom, Busayo founded Creative Ideation Hub and CivaLabs CIC, establishing new infrastructure for civic innovation and minority entrepreneurship in Britain.
- —Creative Ideation Hub — Social Enterprise, UK
- —CivaLabs CIC — Salford, Manchester
- —CitizensNgage civic activation programme
- —Co-working and incubation hub
- —10,000 civic innovators by 2030
Organisations
Founded
Creative
Ideation Hub
Civic Innovation / Youth Leadership / Policy Research
CiH builds the institutional infrastructure for youth-led civic change in the UK and internationally, operating through a systems-change model.
- Civic Solutions Lab — Digital platforms for civic engagement and data transparency
- CiH Academy — Civic literacy, leadership development and digital skills
- Civic Innovation Fund — Seed funding for community-led solutions
- Research & Advisory — Community insight translated into policy guidance
CivaLabs
CIC
Innovation / Entrepreneurship / Creative Economy
CivaLabs empowers underrepresented minority innovators, entrepreneurs, and creatives to create, grow, and succeed in the UK through a centralised hub in Salford, Manchester.
- Business & Enterprise — Supporting minority entrepreneurs from ideation to investor-ready
- Innovation & Technology — AI, civic tech, EdTech, healthcare, financial services
- Arts & Culture — Platforms for underrepresented artists and cultural producers
- Research & Development — Evidence base for advocacy and policy influence
"Democracy works best when citizens understand how systems operate and have the tools, the confidence, and the community to change them."
Busayo O. Morakinyo(BOM)
Vision
2026– 2030
embedding youth civic participation as a standard practice in local democracy.
for underrepresented minority innovation, with physical presence across multiple UK cities.
through structured programmes combining civic literacy, digital skills, and community organising.
for participatory governance that can be replicated across the UK and internationally.
connecting civic innovators across continents and shared democratic challenges.
digital democracy, and inclusive innovation through research and institutional engagement.