The Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, has called for stronger collaboration between traditional institutions and government intervention agencies to improve food security, create jobs and expand economic opportunities at the grassroots.
Odii made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Ulefunta Annual Lecture in Akure, Ondo State, themed ‘Food Security, Wealth Creation and National Development: Building Strategic Partnerships Between Traditional Institutions and Intervention Agencies.’
He said government policies and intervention programmes often failed to achieve their intended objectives when they were designed without adequate input from communities and their leaders.
‘We cannot sit in Abuja and make policies for people at the rural and community level. For these policies to work, we must first involve community owners, community leaders and stakeholders in the design,’ Odii said.
He said traditional rulers and community leaders understood the peculiarities of their communities, including land use, customs, economic potential and local challenges, making their involvement critical to the success of development programmes.
Odii identified community participation, transparency, impact measurement, inclusion and sustainability as key requirements for effective government interventions.
The SMEDAN chief executive said the agency had introduced its Community Enterprise Development Programme to strengthen the participation of traditional institutions in enterprise development.
According to him, the programme is designed to involve traditional rulers and community leaders throughout the implementation of development projects, rather than engaging them only after major decisions have been taken.
He explained that traditional institutions could assist intervention agencies in mobilising farmers, artisans, women and youths, identifying viable economic opportunities and promoting community ownership of government programmes.
Odii also urged stakeholders to move agriculture beyond subsistence production by investing in the entire value chain, including processing, packaging, logistics, technology and marketing.
He said developing economic clusters around the comparative advantages of different communities could boost productivity, create jobs and improve access to markets.
The SMEDAN boss called for greater investment in young people and women through skills acquisition, digital literacy, mentorship, access to finance and market linkages.
He noted that SMEDAN would continue to provide technical support, capacity building, business formalisation and enterprise development assistance while working with traditional institutions to ensure that interventions reached their intended beneficiaries.
Odii also pledged the agency’s support for young people and the Ulefunta Festival, saying SMEDAN would work with stakeholders to ensure the initiative remained sustainable and continued to contribute to community development.
The Deji and Paramount Ruler of Akure Land, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, Odundun II, said the annual lecture was organised to bridge the gap between traditional institutions and government intervention agencies.
The monarch disclosed that the forum was also intended to expose rural dwellers, farmers and young entrepreneurs to funding and other opportunities available through government programmes.
He said the traditional institution would serve as a link between intervention agencies and communities at the grassroots.
According to him, participating farmers’ associations, community leaders and traditional chiefs had been mobilised to take information from the forum back to their respective communities.
The monarch described the Ulefunta Festival as an annual socio-cultural reunion featuring tourism and cultural activities, stressing that it lacked fetish practices.
Earlier, the Chairman of the 2026 Ulefunta Festival Committee and Olu of Okelisa Titun, Olu Adekunle Ajanaku, said the colloquium was organised to sensitise rural dwellers, farmers and young entrepreneurs to government funding and development opportunities.
Ajanaku said the festival had continued to attract attention because of its inclusiveness and its promotion of the people’s cultural values, social life and aspirations.
He said renewed cooperation among the three Akure-speaking local government areas could lead to the establishment of the Akure People Central Council and the Akure Traditional Council.
He also said newly introduced sporting activities had strengthened unity among the people of the three local government areas.
Ajanaku said the festival committee would continue to engage participating government agencies and obtain feedback on the impact of their interventions on rural communities and other beneficiaries.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Adenike Oladiji, commended the Deji of Akure for his support for the university, particularly his role in facilitating the recent accreditation of its medical programme by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Prof. Oladiji described the Ulefunta Annual Lecture as a platform for intellectual exchange, cultural preservation and discussions on solutions to national challenges.
She said food insecurity and youth unemployment remained major challenges that required practical, sustainable interventions.
The vice-chancellor called for stronger partnerships among traditional institutions, universities and government intervention agencies to promote sustainable development.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, represented by the South-West Zonal Director, Martin Kehinde Ogunkuade, pledged the agency’s support for the initiative.
Ogunkuade said NOA would deploy its resources to sensitise residents of the Akure Kingdom to opportunities available under government intervention programmes in food security and wealth creation.
He described the partnership between the agency and the Akure traditional institution as a potential model for collaboration between traditional institutions and government agencies.