The South-West Development Commission has given its newly inaugurated Action Committee on TransComs a 180-day mandate to deliver a rural transformation programme from concept to execution of pilot projects and lay the groundwork for regional scale-up.
The committee will be co-led by the MD/CEO, Dr Charles Akinola, and Prof Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Programme Director of the Foundation for Technology Innovation and Sustainable Development, the technical partner of SWDC on the initiative.
It was inaugurated at the close of the TransComs co-creation roundtable held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Oyo State, over the weekend.
SWDC MD/CEO Akinola said, “The committee’s immediate mandate is to coordinate partnerships across federal, state, and private sector actors, mobilise technical and financial resources, and deliver pilots in Fapote, Ogbomoso, and Ara, Osun.
“It is structured around four pillars designed to anchor credibility and de-risk execution. The committee would serve as the commission’s delivery engine, ensuring the project moves rapidly from stakeholder engagement to measurable impact on the ground,” he stated.
Akinola explained that TransComs is not another report on the shelf, adding that “this committee is our delivery engine.”
“TransComs, short for transformed communities, is SWDC’s cluster-based model for converting groups of rural communities into integrated economic hubs. By linking agriculture with housing, logistics, enterprise development, and youth employment, the programme aims to lift households from $2 to $10 a day within five years.
“Leading development finance institutions, including the African Development Bank and the Bank of Industry, join the South-West Agribusiness Company to anchor the finance and investment stream. Policy and coordination are represented by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission, the South-West Governors’ Forum, and the Commissioners for Agriculture and Budget from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti States.
“Private sector and technical expertise come from agribusiness leaders at Psaltery International and Niji Farms, alongside logistics and energy specialists and senior officials from the Nigerian Railway Corporation. Development partners such as the Sasakawa Africa Association and UNICEF complete the coalition, providing technical and community engagement support.
“Working with state and local governments, it will also develop the governance and sustainability frameworks needed to replicate the model across all 137 local government areas in the South-West region,” he explained.
In his remarks, Oyelaran-Oyeyinka said, “TransCom is a living community centre where people work, trade, learn and build livelihoods, positioning agriculture as the anchor for broader prosperity rather than a stand-alone activity.”
The PUNCH reports that SWDC is a federal agency established in September 2025 to drive infrastructure development, economic growth, and poverty reduction across the six South-West states. Headquartered in Ibadan, it serves as a regional catalyst, coordinating development and infrastructure projects similar to the DAWN Commission.
