By Ade Oyeyemi
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has announced a plan to provide solar power to 1,000 small businesses across the state while unveiling funding and other support for 20 entrepreneurs.
Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Saturday at the 2026 Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency Entrepreneurs Summit held at The Dome, Akure.
The summit, organised under the theme, “The New Ondo: Positioning Entrepreneurs for Emerging Opportunities,” attracted entrepreneurs, investors, government officials, mentors and other stakeholders in the state’s business sector.
The governor said the 20 entrepreneurs were selected through the ONDEA My IDEA screening and selection process and would receive funding, mentorship, exposure and other forms of business support.
He charged the beneficiaries to translate the assistance into sustainable businesses that would create jobs, contribute to the state’s revenue and provide opportunities for other young people.
Aiyedatiwa said the government’s intervention would only be meaningful if the beneficiaries went beyond personal gains to create a wider impact in their communities.
He explained that his administration was building an ecosystem designed to connect entrepreneurial ideas with skills, finance, markets and other resources required for businesses to thrive.
The governor said ONDEA had already been helping entrepreneurs formalise their businesses through registration, skills development, training, equipment and other forms of support.
Aiyedatiwa also announced the Lucky Light Initiative, which he said would provide clean, reliable and affordable solar electricity to 1,000 small businesses across the state’s 18 local government areas.
According to him, the programme is primarily an economic intervention aimed at reducing the energy costs faced by small businesses and should not be mistaken for a household electrification project.
He said the first phase of the initiative would begin this year, with businesses selected in batches before subsequent phases expand the programme across the state.
The governor further announced plans to acquire shares in the Dangote Group of Companies for 500 young entrepreneurs in Ondo, saying the initiative would expose them to investment opportunities and encourage long-term wealth creation.
He urged young people to embrace entrepreneurship as a tool for solving problems and creating employment, rather than viewing it simply as the establishment of businesses.
Aiyedatiwa identified agriculture, agro-processing, cocoa, tourism, the blue economy, oil and gas, solid minerals, technology, renewable energy, creative industries, manufacturing, logistics and exports as sectors with investment potential.
He said Ondo must move beyond producing raw materials and focus on processing, packaging, branding and exporting finished products to generate greater economic value.
Representing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, his Special Adviser, Toba Oyedele, said entrepreneurs would be critical to the Federal Government’s plan to build a $1tn economy by 2030.
He encouraged entrepreneurs to take advantage of opportunities arising from economic reforms, innovation and investment.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment, Summy Smart Francis, urged young people to actively pursue opportunities instead of waiting for them.
Francis identified clarity, discipline and velocity, which he described as speed in the right direction, as important attributes for successful entrepreneurship.
He also disclosed that ONDEA had introduced a WhatsApp platform and a 48-hour response system for official correspondence as part of efforts to improve its services to entrepreneurs.
Media entrepreneur and former Managing Director of TVC Entertainment, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, called for increased investment across the South-West, saying economic opportunities should be spread beyond Lagos.
She noted that other states in the region possessed considerable economic potential that could contribute to broader development.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor, Olayide Adelami; Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Fasoranti; Chief of Staff, Segun Omojuwa; Head of Service, Olusegun Odusanya; members of the State Executive Council and other government officials.
