Ekiti Can Achieve 30-Year Development Goals in 10 Years, Olowolafe Says
Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), has said Ekiti State can achieve its development aspirations for the next 30 years within a decade if the government and stakeholders prioritise reliable electricity, vocational education, industrialisation and technology-driven innovation.
Olowolafe stated this while delivering the lead paper at the Ekiti at 30 Future Summit held at the Obafemi Awolowo Civic and Convention Centre, Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
In his paper titled, “The Path to Ekiti’s Greatness: Opportunities, Choices, and Imperatives for the Next 30 Years,” he urged the state to translate its strong educational heritage and human capital into sustainable economic growth, wealth creation and poverty reduction.
He identified reliable power, practical vocational skills and direct connections to industrial supply chains and global markets as three fundamentals required to accelerate Ekiti’s industrial development.
The medical doctor and corporate practitioner also announced three commitments by the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation to strengthen technical education, digital learning and geological studies in the state.
He said the foundation would work with the state government to install or upgrade modern information and communication technology (ICT) centres in the six government technical colleges in Ekiti, with each centre powered by solar energy and connected to high-speed Starlink internet.
Olowolafe added that the foundation would recruit international vocational training experts to support teachers, train students and help reform technical education curricula, with practical workshop experience at the centre of learning.
He said the foundation would also partner with leading mining schools in Canada and South Africa to develop EKSU’s Department of Geology into the best in Africa within five years.
According to him, the initiatives are designed to strengthen existing institutions rather than create parallel structures, while ensuring that graduates acquire relevant skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
On electricity, Olowolafe proposed a ward-by-ward technical audit across Ekiti’s 177 political wards to identify opportunities for establishing renewable-energy microgrids.
He said solar microgrids with capacities of between 300 and 500 kilowatts could provide electricity for schools, health centres, workshops and small businesses in many communities.
He added that support from the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) could accelerate the implementation of the proposed projects.
On vocational education, Olowolafe called for expanded investment in training programmes covering solar installation, welding, fabrication, machinery repair, food processing and other technical trades.
He noted that the six government technical colleges currently operating in the state could not adequately meet the training needs of hundreds of thousands of young people across its 16 local government areas.
He therefore recommended modernising their curricula and engaging experienced instructors from countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Canada and South Africa to train teachers and connect the institutions digitally to employers and clients.
Olowolafe stressed that technical professions should be recognised as valuable career paths, arguing that partnerships with industries would encourage young people to acquire practical skills when they could see clear employment opportunities.
He cited the practical training undertaken by EKSU civil engineering students on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as an example of how industry partnerships could bridge the gap between classroom learning and workplace requirements.
The university chancellor said industrial firms should participate in curriculum development, deploy engineers to teach and recruit qualified workers directly from technical institutions.
He argued that such collaboration would enable Ekiti graduates to secure jobs in major industrial facilities, including the Dangote Refinery, as certified welders, fitters and instrumentation technicians.
Olowolafe also identified digital infrastructure and improved transportation networks as essential to connecting skills and enterprise to wider markets.
He said the Ekiti Knowledge Zone, conceived under former Governor Kayode Fayemi and being implemented by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, would enable young people to establish technology businesses in the state while serving clients across Nigeria and internationally.
He also commended successive administrations for sustaining the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport project, noting that former Governor Segun Oni conceived the idea, former Governor Ayodele Fayose acquired and cleared the site, and former Governor Kayode Fayemi commenced construction before Oyebanji completed the project.
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On road infrastructure, Olowolafe expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele for their roles in facilitating the award and commencement of work on the Ado-Ijan-Ilumoba-Ikole federal road.
He said improved road connectivity would support economic activities and facilitate access to educational and industrial institutions.
The Ekiti-born investor also emphasised the need to apply scientific research and evidence-based approaches to solving the state’s development challenges.
Using a childhood experience involving a snakebite, he explained that traditional knowledge should not be dismissed but must be subjected to evidence and complemented by proven scientific solutions, particularly where human lives and livelihoods are concerned.
He said the same principle should guide the state’s universities, technical workshops and businesses in developing practical innovations that address local challenges.
As part of its community development efforts, Olowolafe disclosed that the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation supported the establishment of the Gbemisola Olowolafe Memorial Community Secondary School in Are-Ekiti, which opened in September 2025 with 100 students and now has more than 170.
He said the foundation hoped to expand the school to accommodate 600 students, with emphasis on science, technology, languages, arts and sports.
He added that the adjoining GOMTECH ICT Centre provides training in artificial intelligence, coding, graphic design and Mandarin.
At EKSU, Olowolafe said the foundation was supporting Project Digi-Teach to equip all 650 lecturers with digital teaching skills, while the university’s Trading Room had developed into a Senate-approved diploma programme in financial markets.
He further disclosed that high-speed Starlink internet had been installed at 12 locations across the university campus to improve digital access for teaching, learning and research.
Olowolafe said the foundation was also collaborating with EKSU to modernise its Department of Geology through dedicated solar power, high-speed internet, computer hardware and advanced field-testing equipment.
He noted that the intervention was intended to strengthen the capacity of geology students and lecturers to contribute to mineral exploration, processing and responsible mining.
On agricultural development, he called for investment in local processing and technology to reduce post-harvest losses and increase the value of the state’s cash crops.
Citing cocoa production, he said Ekiti recorded 4,500 tonnes in 2025, according to the state’s Ministry of Agriculture, and proposed the development of affordable solar-powered cocoa dryers for producing communities.
He argued that processing cocoa closer to its source would create additional economic value, improve farmers’ earnings and reduce waste.
Olowolafe also called for greater investment in the processing of solid minerals rather than relying on the export of raw materials.
He said Ekiti’s universities, scientists, engineers and skilled artisans should collaborate to develop technologies that would support local manufacturing and add value to the state’s natural resources.
Reflecting on the state’s 30-year history, he commended successive administrations for their contributions to governance and development, while acknowledging the role of Ekiti’s educational institutions in producing professionals across different sectors.
He particularly highlighted the state’s seven universities, seven polytechnics and eight colleges of education, health, science and technology as important assets for its future development.
He also praised the state’s tradition of academic excellence, noting that education remained a priority in many Ekiti households.
Olowolafe urged stakeholders to assess the state’s development progress every two years, saying periodic reviews would help ensure accountability and sustain momentum towards achieving agreed targets.
He recalled that Ekiti’s founding generation had to mobilise resources and begin government activities under difficult conditions, including operating from under the trees at Christ’s School, rather than waiting for perfect circumstances.
He said the same determination was required to transform the state’s economy and create opportunities for future generations.
“Our first thirty years proved that Ekiti could exist. The next ten must prove that Ekiti will lead,” he said.
Olowolafe urged the government, private sector, educational institutions and communities to work together to convert the state’s mineral resources, agricultural potential and human capital into sustainable prosperity.
He said the opportunities available to Ekiti required deliberate choices, disciplined implementation and immediate action to secure a more prosperous future for its people.
