The Foundation for Technology Innovation and Development (FTID) has announced that the Southwest Development Commission (SWDC) has formally approved Ogbomoso, Oyo State, as the first TransCom cluster site. The approval, issued by the SWDC Investment Committee, marks the beginning of the active deployment phase for the TransComs rural transformation programme.
TransComs — Transformation Communities — are integrated rural clusters designed to bring agriculture, processing, skills, social protection, and connectivity together in a single location. The Ogbomoso site will serve as the flagship pilot, demonstrating the full six-pillar model that FTID has developed over years of applied research across Africa and Asia.
"This approval represents a turning point," said Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Chairman of FTID. "We now have the institutional mandate to build what we have long known works — a cluster model that puts community infrastructure at the centre of rural development."
The SWDC has formally engaged as the primary government anchor for the programme, bringing institutional legitimacy, government coordination authority, and convening power across all six Southwest states. The programme targets 137 TransCom clusters — one per Local Government Area — by 2030–2031.
The Ogbomoso pilot will anchor Imni Global's fruit concentrate production and Nexium Exports' cassava processing alongside a broader agro-trading and social services hub. Traditional authorities, including HRM the Soun of Ogbomoso, have endorsed the programme and are integral to community governance.
Active preparation is now underway for the 2026 launch.