“You already had your chance”: The silent shame of online dating after divorce in Africa

Late one night in 2025, a corporate finance analyst named Tega Ogaga was struggling with a broken financial model when he stumbled upon a Facebook post on a community matchmaking page. The post was from a single mother of three who was ready to start searching for a partner again. As he scrolled through the comment section, Ogaga was shocked by the cruelty he witnessed.

Strangers attacked the woman, questioning why any man would take on the financial and emotional responsibility of raising another man's children. One particularly harsh comment asked, "Why should I become their father? Why did their father run?" Disturbed by what he had seen, Ogaga decided to solve the problem he had just witnessed.

He created Runo, a dating and relationship platform specifically designed for widows, widowers, divorcees, and single parents. Runo's purpose is to provide a trusted space where people can meet without having to explain, defend, or apologize for their decision to start over. The app is set to launch on October 9th in Lagos, with the hope of rewriting the rules of second-chance dating in Africa.

Ogaga recognized that for people in this demographic, re-entering the dating world is rarely straightforward. They carry the reality of their past into every introduction, whether it be children to explain, previous vows to discuss, or a lingering sorrow for grieving spouses. The problem runs deeper than Facebook comments, as the fear of judgment has created a culture of silent shame.

Many people in this demographic avoid telling acquaintances about their search for a partner, choosing isolation over the unsolicited opinions that inevitably follow.