During the ARISE News Town Hall in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, the leading governorship candidates — Accord Party's Ademola Adeleke and the APC's Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO) — concentrated on the everyday issues that matter most to voters: roads, agriculture, education, healthcare, jobs and security. Rather than delivering lengthy speeches or reading from manifestos, the candidates engaged directly with the audience and fielded questions about the state's future. With the state's governorship election scheduled for August 2026, the exchange offered an early look at how the leading contenders rank their development priorities.

Yet one key question lingered after the event: where does technology fit into the vision for Osun's future? The state has taken genuine steps toward technological integration — an ICT policy, digital government services and public Wi-Fi — but technology often feels isolated from sectors such as agriculture and education. The real potential lies in integrating technology to strengthen these areas.

Agriculture as the proving ground

For Osun, a more pragmatic approach than aiming to create a tech hub like Lagos would be to leverage technology across existing sectors. Agriculture, as cited by AMBO, is the prime example. The current administrations are focused on boosting agriculture and agro-industrial expansion, recognising it as a cornerstone of the state's economy. That focus rests on real foundations: Osun sits within Nigeria's south-western cocoa belt, and Nigeria ranks among the world's leading cocoa producers.

But after tractors and farm inputs have been provided, what comes next for farmers? They should not have to rely solely on word of mouth for crop guidance or market information. A simple digital agricultural platform could connect farmers with essential resources in one place: weather forecasts, expert advice, local buyers, input suppliers and financing.

Consider a cocoa farmer in Ilesa who photographs a diseased leaf and receives an initial diagnosis on a smartphone before an agricultural officer ever visits. Or farmers checking real-time market prices to decide where to sell their produce, avoiding the disappointment of arriving at a market only to find that prices have dropped.

A state-wide digital farm registry could go further, helping the government understand who is farming, what they grow and where they are located. This data-driven approach would enable targeted support — fertilisers, credit and training — ensuring resources reach the people who need them most. Nigeria has form here: in the early 2010s, the federal e-wallet scheme delivered fertiliser subsidies directly to farmers' mobile phones, curbing the leakage that had plagued paper-based distribution.

This is how technology can transform an agrarian economy. It is not about flashy innovations; it is about using data, mobile devices, satellite imagery and digital payments to empower farmers, improve decision-making and boost their earnings. The same principles can be applied across other sectors in Osun, paving the way for a brighter, more interconnected future. The state has already signalled its ambitions, unveiling a digital economy policy and laying out plans to become the South-West's leading tech hub.

Data-driven roads and infrastructure

Roads offer another key example of how technology can enhance development. Osun has invested significantly in building roads and bridges, which are vital to the state's growth. To ensure these assets deliver long-term value, technology can help answer critical questions: Which roads are wearing out the fastest? Where are accidents occurring most frequently? Which routes are critical for moving agricultural produce from farms to markets? Which communities are often cut off due to flooding?

By collecting and analysing this information, the government can prioritise maintenance efforts instead of waiting for roads to break down completely.

Digital tools for healthcare

Healthcare improvements are equally important. Both major political parties in Osun emphasise expanding access to healthcare. Adeleke's administration claims to have rehabilitated hundreds of primary healthcare centres, while AMBO's PROSPER Agenda promises to enhance primary healthcare across the state's wards. Digital systems can maximise the effectiveness of these investments: telemedicine can connect rural facilities with specialists, electronic patient records can streamline care, and inventory software can alert clinics when essential medications are running low. Nigerian telemedicine adoption expanded notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns pushed clinics and health startups toward remote consultations.

Education and remote opportunity

Education presents a significant opportunity as well. With major universities like Obafemi Awolowo University and a youthful population, Osun has the potential to build a strong digital economy through relevant education. Training in skills such as coding, cybersecurity, data analysis and digital marketing can help students find valuable work without moving to larger cities like Lagos. At the federal level, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy's Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme is funding training in these same skill categories, giving state-level efforts a national framework to plug into.

The result could be a designer in Osogbo working for a company in London, a data analyst in Ile-Ife supporting firms in Lagos, and a developer in Ilesa creating products for global customers. Elsewhere in the South-West, the US consulate has unveiled the Ogun Tech Hub 'Windows on America' facility to drive digital access.

These opportunities, however, depend on fundamental factors: reliable electricity, affordable internet, access to finance and a business-friendly environment. Those constraints are national as much as local: Nigeria's National Broadband Plan set a 70 percent penetration target for 2025, and coverage and affordability remain uneven outside the major cities.

Integration, not isolation

Discussions about technology in Osun should therefore go beyond the existence of a tech hub. The real question is how technology improves the key sectors of the economy. Agriculture can become more productive through agritech, small businesses can tap into wider markets with e-commerce, tourism can attract visitors through online platforms, and digital government services can spare residents long hours of queuing in offices.

Osun shows promise in these areas. The government has discussed digitising public services, land administration and public internet access, while a community of innovators is already establishing tech businesses in the state. The challenge lies in integrating these efforts into a comprehensive economic strategy.

A technology policy that exists only within a single ministry will have limited effect. Technology is most valuable when it is embedded in plans for agriculture, education, healthcare, transportation and government services.

No need to become another Lagos

Osun does not need to become another Lagos to harness technology. Unlike Lagos, which thrives on a large private sector and extensive capital, Osun can leverage its unique strengths to improve efficiency and productivity. Technology can help farmers produce and sell goods more effectively, allow for better road planning through data analysis, and enable young people to work for companies globally while living in Osun.

Ultimately, the success of Osun's next government will hinge on whether technology is integrated into farming, education, healthcare, business support and public service delivery. An early test will be the incoming administration's first budget: whether technology shows up as line items within agriculture, health and education allocations, rather than only as a standalone ministry vote. When technology becomes part of the infrastructure rather than a separate sector, it can drive the state toward a more modern economy rooted in agriculture and public services.