…as 20 young entrepreneurs get grants, support packages
By Tolulope Eniola
Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on Saturday unveiled the Lucky Light Initiative, a phased intervention aimed at providing reliable, clean and affordable solar electricity to 1,000 small businesses across the state’s 18 local government areas.
Governor Aiyedatiwa unveiled the initiative at the 2026 Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency (ONDEA) Entrepreneurs Summit held at the International Centre for Culture and Events (The Dome), Igbatoro Road, Akure, describing it as an economic intervention rather than a household electrification scheme.
The summit, themed “The New Ondo: Positioning Entrepreneurs for Emerging Opportunities”, according to the governor, reflects the economic future his administration is building.
He said entrepreneurship has moved beyond merely starting businesses to identifying problems, creating solutions, adopting technology, building sustainable enterprises, creating jobs and competing beyond immediate environments.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said the world, markets and technology are changing and Ondo State must change with them, noting that his administration is deliberately repositioning and diversifying the economy to create an environment where entrepreneurship, innovation and businesses can thrive.
He said government’s responsibility is not to create dependency but to provide an environment where entrepreneurs could identify opportunities, access support, build sustainable businesses and create prosperity.
The governor identified agriculture and agro-processing, cocoa and other cash crops, tourism, the blue economy, oil and gas, solid minerals, technology, renewable energy, creative industries, manufacturing, logistics and export-oriented businesses as areas of opportunity for the state.
Governor Aiyedatiwa said his administration’s fundamental objective is to move the state from merely producing raw materials to processing, packaging, branding and exporting value-added products.
He said the government is deliberately creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem that would connect ideas to skills, skills to businesses, businesses to finance and businesses to markets, with ONDEA playing a strategic role.
Through ONDEA, the governor said, the administration is supporting entrepreneurs to register their businesses, formalise their operations, acquire relevant skills, receive training and business equipment, access business support and build enterprises capable of creating jobs.
He said the agency is helping people move from informal economic activities to structured businesses, from surviving to growing and from being job seekers to becoming job creators.
Governor Aiyedatiwa also announced the recognition of 20 entrepreneurs whose ideas distinguished them in the ‘ONDEA My IDEA’ screening and selection process.
The 20 beneficiaries, he said, would receive funding and business support packages, alongside opportunities for further development, exposure and mentorship.
The governor urged the beneficiaries to use the opportunity wisely, build businesses, employ people, pay their taxes and mentor others, stressing that the real return on government investment is not merely the success of one entrepreneur but the number of lives such an entrepreneur can touch.
On the Lucky Light Initiative, Governor Aiyedatiwa said electricity is not a luxury for small businesses but part of their cost of production, as rising energy costs translate into higher production costs.
The governor said the initiative would commence this year, with the first phase supporting businesses in batches, while subsequent phases would expand the programme until more businesses across the 18 LGAs benefit.
The governor appreciated the organisers of the summit, partners, private-sector stakeholders, trainers, mentors, judges and others who contributed to making the programme an all-year-round initiative.
The governor further promised to purchase shares in the Dangote Group of Companies for 500 young entrepreneurs in Ondo State as part of efforts to expose them to investment opportunities and encourage wealth creation.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, represented by his Special Adviser, Toba Oyedele, said entrepreneurs would be central to the Federal Government’s ambition of building a `$1 trillion economy by 2030.
Oyedele urged Ondo entrepreneurs to prepare for emerging opportunities and turn economic reforms, innovation and investment into sustainable businesses, jobs and growth.
In his address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment, Dr Summy Smart Francis, urged young entrepreneurs to stop waiting for opportunities and deliberately move towards them.
Francis said successful entrepreneurship requires clarity, discipline and velocity, which he described as speed in the right direction.
He urged young entrepreneurs to develop clear visions and work backwards from their desired future rather than merely having wishes without definite paths.
Francis disclosed that ONDEA had created a WhatsApp group and adopted a 48-hour response system for letters as part of efforts to improve its responsiveness, describing the agency as one of Nigeria’s fastest-response agencies.
He described the summit as the largest gathering of entrepreneurs in Nigeria and said its theme was closely aligned with the seven-point OUR EASE Agenda of Governor Aiyedatiwa, which he said was designed to create an enabling environment for citizens, businesses and investors.
Also speaking, media entrepreneur and former Managing Director of TVC Entertainment, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, called for greater investment in the Southwest, saying the region possesses significant opportunities beyond Lagos.
She said the concentration of economic activities in Lagos should give way to broader development across other parts of the Southwest.
In attendance were the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; Head of Service, Chief Olusegun Odusanya; members of the State Executive Council and other political appointees.
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