Stakeholders Rally Behind SWDC’s TransComs Initiative At Ibadan Roundtable  

By Kemi Folarin  

Stakeholders have rallied behind the South-West Development Commission’s TransComs initiative at a co-creation roundtable held Tuesday at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, as the SWDC gained strong backing for its rural transformation program.

TransComs, short for Transformed Communities, is a cluster-based approach designed to convert rural communities into connected economic hubs. 

The model moves beyond fragmented subsistence farming by integrating infrastructure, housing, logistics, enterprise development, and youth employment, with agriculture serving as the foundation for wider economic growth.

Opening the session, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musbau Babatunde, described TransComs as “a bold, forward-looking response to one of the most pressing imperatives of our time: the sustainable transformation of rural communities.”

SWDC MD/CEO, Dr. Charles ‘Diji’ Akinola said TransComs addresses 40 years of deepening rural poverty in the Southwest. This is despite the region accounting for Nigeria’s largest share of non-oil GDP and hosting Africa’s commercial capital. 

He noted that past initiatives, from Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s 1950s farm settlements to OPTICOM, DFRRI, JDPC, and recent state programs, prove that integrated, community-driven development works. TransComs, he added, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security, job creation, and inclusive growth.

The roundtable attracted commitments from governments, development finance institutions, banks, and private firms. 

Participants at the event included the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Bank of Industry (BoI), Sterling Bank, all six Southwest states, Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA), Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), South West Governors Forum, South West Agribusiness Company (SWAgCo), Sasakawa Africa Association, Niji Farms Ltd., and MRS Holdings.

Stakeholders praised the SWDC and pledged support to establish and sustain the program. 

They cited expected gains including rural economic revival, reduced rural-urban migration, job creation, and increased youth participation in agribusiness.

FTID Programme Director Prof. Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka said Southwest rural areas remain constrained by subsistence farming, weak market access, high post-harvest losses, and limited value addition. 

He described TransComs as a living community center “where people work, trade, learn, and build livelihoods,” with the potential to raise rural incomes from $2 to $10 per day within five years.

Key opportunities under the model include agro-processing, cold chain and logistics, input supply and extension services, digital and fintech services, standards and packaging, skills training, and community health.

A pilot is already running in Fapote, Ogbomoso, with expansion planned across LGAs in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states.