The Odu’a Investment Foundation has trained more than 4,500 students in coding, artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital skills through its Byte Busters Coding Club, as part of efforts to prepare young people across Southwest Nigeria for the digital economy.

The Project Director of the Digital Education for Innovation and Economic Development (DEFINED) Project, Professor Seun Kolade, disclosed this at the second edition of the Byte Busters Showcase 2026, held at the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre, Ibadan.

Kolade said the programme had expanded from nine centres with approximately 100 pupils at its inaugural showcase in 2025 to 20 centres across 18 local government areas in the six Southwest states. He added that more than 220 students were expected to participate in this year’s showcase.

He said the students had developed practical solutions to societal challenges, including an AI-powered Computer-Based Test platform, a tomato farming application, an emergency response system, a sign language application and an AI-powered marketplace for local traders.

Other projects included applications addressing post-harvest maize losses and a Yoruba-English translation tool, reflecting the students’ growing ability to apply technology to agriculture, commerce, accessibility and indigenous language development.

According to Kolade, the initiative was designed to move students beyond consuming technology to developing the capacity to create solutions. He said, “The future of Nigeria, and indeed Africa, should not simply arrive as something made elsewhere, programmed elsewhere and owned elsewhere. The future must carry our fingerprints.”

He disclosed that the Foundation had also introduced a Digital Literacy Training for Teachers programme, with 72 teachers participating in its first cohort and 67 successfully completing the training. The initiative, which adopts a train-the-trainer model, is targeting 3,000 teachers by the end of 2026.

Kolade urged the six Southwest owner states of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, corporate organisations, philanthropists and other stakeholders to support the programme’s expansion through the provision of computers, internet connectivity, learning facilities and sustained funding.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Odu’a Investment Foundation Advisory Council, Ambassador Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, said the programme was equipping young people with the skills and confidence to participate in shaping the digital future.

She said the increasing influence of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies made it necessary for young people to become creators rather than passive users of digital products.

“It is therefore not enough for them to become passive users of technologies developed elsewhere. We must give them the confidence and capability to participate actively in shaping the digital future,” she said.

Awolowo-Dosunmu commended the project team, teachers, mentors and school administrators, while calling on the six owner states and corporate partners to deepen their support, particularly to extend the programme to underserved communities.

The Group Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Dr Tajudeen Tola Kasali, represented by Lady Otunba Debola Osinbogun, said the company’s commitment to regional development extended beyond commercial activities to investments in education, healthcare and youth empowerment.

He described digital education as an essential investment in human capital, adding that the DEFINED Project was established to expand access to technological skills and strengthen instructional capacity across Southwest Nigeria.

Kasali said the Byte Busters initiative would help students develop critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving abilities needed to contribute to a knowledge-driven economy.

In his opening remarks, the Group Managing Director of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Abdulrahman Yinusa, said the initiative reflected the company’s commitment to creating opportunities for young people through sustainable investments in education and human development.

He noted that access to practical digital education remained uneven, particularly among public school pupils, and said a child’s future should not be determined by the school attended or the resources available in their immediate environment.

Yinusa urged the students to remain curious, learn from their mistakes and continue developing solutions to problems in their communities, adding that investment in their abilities would contribute to the long-term development of Southwest Nigeria.