The South-West Development Commission (SWDC) has set in motion plans to transform rural communities across the Southwest into economic hubs through its newly launched TransComs initiative, with pilot projects already scheduled for Oyo and Osun states.
To drive the implementation, the Commission inaugurated a high-powered Action Committee charged with executing the programme within 180 days and preparing the model for expansion across all 137 local government areas in the region.
Speaking at the inauguration held after the TransComs co-creation roundtable at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, SWDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Charles ‘Diji Akinola, said the initiative is designed to deliver practical development outcomes rather than remain a policy document.
“TransComs is not another report on the shelf. This committee is our delivery engine,” he said.
The programme, known as TransComs — short for Transformed Communities — seeks to reposition rural communities as integrated centres of agriculture, commerce, housing, logistics, enterprise and youth employment.
According to the Commission, the model aims to increase household income levels from about $2 to $10 per day within five years by linking agricultural production with broader economic activities.
Pilot projects under the initiative will commence in Fapote, Ogbomoso and Ara in Osun State, while the committee coordinates partnerships among federal, state and private sector stakeholders.
The committee is jointly headed by Dr. Akinola and Prof. Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Programme Director of the Foundation for Technology Innovation and Sustainable Development (FTID), SWDC’s technical partner.
Major institutions backing the initiative include the African Development Bank (AfDB), Bank of Industry (BoI), South-West Agribusiness Company (SWAgCo), DAWN Commission, Southwest Governors’ Forum, UNICEF, Sasakawa Africa Association, Psaltery International and Niji Farms.
Commissioners for agriculture and budget from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states are also part of the implementation framework.
Prof. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka described TransComs as a “living community centre” where people can work, trade, learn and build sustainable livelihoods, noting that agriculture would serve as the foundation for wider prosperity in the region.
