Towards a practical, inclusive and sustainable “Made in Ekiti” agenda for the next 30 years.
As Ekiti State approaches its 30th anniversary on 1 October 2026, we have an opportunity to honour our history and define the future we must build. Created on 1 October 1996, our state embodies the aspirations of a people who believed self-determination would bring development closer to home. Source: Ekiti State Government
Thirty years is three decades of hopes, leadership, public investment and sacrifice. It is long enough to ask difficult questions with maturity, honesty and love for our state.
What opportunities have we created for the young graduate? Can the skilled artisan earn a decent living within our communities? Can a farmer build wealth through processing and market access? Can an entrepreneur establish a business without depending on political connections? The true measure of development is the quality of life ordinary people can build for themselves.
Our anniversary should accommodate celebration, gratitude and sober reflection. Above all, it should produce a credible commitment to the next 30 years.
Ekiti’s reputation for education is an inheritance to treasure. Our teachers shaped generations, our civil servants sustained public institutions, and our scholars contributed knowledge far beyond our borders. These contributions deserve respect. The challenge now is to build a broader economy around that foundation.
Education should feed innovation. Research should improve production. Public administration should enable enterprise. Political leadership should create conditions where people prosper through skills, ideas and honest work. Our intellectual wealth must become a stronger engine of economic wealth.
We must also make our criticism accurate and fair. Describing Ekiti as having no industry or depending entirely on federal allocations overlooks existing businesses and internally generated revenue. The productive economy needs substantial expansion, and reducing reliance on federal transfers should remain a central development priority. BudgIT’s fiscal reporting provides a basis for examining that challenge through evidence. Source: BudgIT, State of States
Behind economic debates are households managing difficult choices: parents who funded an education but still support an unemployed adult child; entrepreneurs whose earnings disappear into operating costs; and young people who feel leaving home is their only route to progress. Their experience must shape our priorities.
This responsibility extends across successive administrations, public institutions, businesses, communities and citizens. Constructive criticism acknowledges effort while insisting on better outcomes. Leadership requires the emotional intelligence to hear disappointment without treating it as hostility. A citizen asking for opportunity is offering government a reason to act.
The 30th anniversary should therefore launch an Ekiti Enterprise and Prosperity Masterplan, 2026-2056, with “Made in Ekiti” as its organising ambition. That phrase must represent products, services and intellectual property that meet standards, attract customers and create sustainable livelihoods.
We should begin with an honest assessment of what each local government can produce competitively. Map agricultural resources, business activity, practical skills, research capacity, infrastructure gaps and market demand. Investment decisions must follow evidence, with projects selected for commercial viability and public benefit.
Agriculture offers a clear starting point. Greater value will come from processing, packaging, storage, transport and distribution. A stronger agricultural economy should create opportunities for farmers, technicians, equipment suppliers, designers and logistics businesses.
Shared production facilities could help smaller enterprises access reliable power, water, machinery and quality testing. Such facilities need professional management, transparent charges, maintenance funding and committed business users before construction begins. Infrastructure without a business model becomes a liability.
Our educational institutions should become active partners in this transformation. Universities and polytechnics can work with businesses to solve production problems, develop affordable equipment and turn useful research into marketable products. Students should gain practical experience through apprenticeships, enterprise projects and placements with functioning businesses.
Entrepreneurship support must extend beyond seminars and ceremonial presentations. A person who receives equipment still needs customers, working capital, technical competence and sound financial management. Training succeeds only when it helps people build businesses that survive, grow and employ others.
Qualified business development service providers should support entrepreneurs from business assessment through formalisation, product development, financing and market access. Programmes should publish results, including business survival, revenue growth and sustained jobs. Success is not number of people trained, but number of businesses still operating after three years.
Finance must reach viable enterprises through transparent selection and appropriate funding arrangements. Political affiliation should have no place in deciding whose business deserves opportunity. Women, young people, persons with disabilities and rural entrepreneurs must have fair access to support.
Government purchasing can help build demand for locally produced goods and services where quality, price and procurement requirements are satisfied. School furniture, uniforms, food supplies and other suitable purchases can support local enterprise. Producers, in turn, must earn confidence through consistent standards and reliable delivery.
Ekiti’s indigenous scholars, experienced professionals and diaspora community should be invited into clearly defined partnerships. Their contributions can include technical advice, mentorship, investment, research commercialisation and introductions to buyers. Every partnership should have an accountable lead, a timetable and measurable deliverables.
To make this masterplan actionable, the first year should establish a public baseline, identify priority sectors, cost the initial interventions and assign responsibility for delivery. The first five-year phase should focus resources on a manageable number of commercially credible projects, not spread thinly across the state.
A public progress dashboard should report businesses supported, enterprises still operating, sustained jobs, private investment attracted and growth in local production. Independent reviews should identify what works, what needs correction and what should stop. Citizens should be able to track progress without propaganda.
A 30-year plan needs continuity across administrations. Broad consultation, legislative support and transparent reporting can help protect it from political turnover while allowing periodic revision as technology and markets change. Development cannot be reset every four years.
Government’s role is to provide dependable institutions, enabling infrastructure and fair rules. Businesses must invest responsibly and honour commitments. Communities must support productive activity. Citizens must value craftsmanship, enterprise and honest work alongside academic and public-service achievement.
We can celebrate the professor and the manufacturer, the teacher and the technician, the civil servant and the farmer who builds a processing business. All contribute to a prosperous society. We must broaden our definition of success.
The ambition should be an Ekiti where a young person can stay by choice, build with confidence and succeed with dignity. A state where knowledge creates industry and industry creates prosperity.
As we mark 30 years, let us honour our founding aspirations through decisions that expand opportunity. Let our anniversary produce funded priorities, responsible partnerships and a timetable citizens can follow. By our 60th anniversary, may “Made in Ekiti” stand for trusted quality, productive knowledge and shared prosperity. That future deserves our collective commitment today. About the Author
Olubunmi Oluwadare is a renowned expert in entrepreneurship development, a National Business Development Service Provider (NBDSP), and business growth strategies. As the founder of www.uni-preneur.com and www.getajob.ng, he has empowered thousands of entrepreneurs and job seekers across Nigeria and Africa. As Chairman of BEEXO GROUP www.beexogroup.com, he continues to drive business growth and innovation in the region. His book, “I SEE MONEY IN AFRICA”, highlights the vast opportunities for entrepreneurs in Africa.
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