29/08/2026
OSUN AGENDA: TURNING YORÙBÁ CULTURE INTO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Osun State must begin to think bigger about its economy.
A widely cited state-GDP dataset puts Osun’s nominal GDP at approximately ₦2.30 trillion, ranking the state around 24th among Nigerian states.
Using historical-era exchange rates, that translates roughly to an economy in the range of $1.4–$2.0 billion. However, this should not be presented as Osun’s current official dollar GDP without a current state-level GDP estimate and a clearly defined exchange-rate methodology.
And this matters for Osun Agenda.
If Osun’s economy is currently of this magnitude, then we must begin asking a much bigger question:
How do we transform Osun from a relatively small state economy into a $5 billion, $10 billion and eventually $20 billion+ economy?
That requires deliberate expansion across multiple sectors:
Agriculture → Agro-processing → Manufacturing → Energy → Technology → Tourism → Education → Healthcare → Real Estate → Logistics → Exports.
And economic growth should not simply mean a bigger naira figure caused by inflation.
Osun needs real economic expansion—more production, more businesses, more investment, greater productivity, stronger exports, more tourism and, most importantly, more quality jobs and opportunities for our people.
TURNING YORÙBÁ CULTURE INTO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Thousands of visitors from Nigeria and around the world are increasingly showing interest in Yorùbá culture, history, spirituality, traditions, food, fashion, arts and heritage.
Osun State is uniquely positioned to benefit from this growing global interest.
From the Festival to Ile-Ife to Ìjéṣàland heritage to Òṣun-Òṣogbo Sacred Grove and the many historic towns and communities across the state, Osun possesses cultural and heritage assets capable of attracting visitors, investment and international attention.
But this is not simply about tourism.
It is about building an economy around our culture.
Osun has the potential to develop a billion-dollar tourism and cultural economy over time if we deliberately invest in the infrastructure, security, hospitality, transportation, marketing, entertainment and businesses required to capture the value of this growing global interest.
EVERY COMMUNITY HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER
There are opportunities across virtually every LGA, city, town and community in Osun.
Our communities have:
Historic sites and monuments
Traditional institutions
Festivals and celebrations
Indigenous cuisine
Fashion and textiles
Arts and crafts
Music and entertainment
Traditional knowledge
Yorùbá architecture
Spiritual and religious heritage
Archaeological and cultural sites
Beautiful landscapes and natural attractions
The opportunity is to identify, document, preserve, package and promote these assets for local, national and international audiences.
A tourist who visits Osun should not simply come for one festival or one attraction and leave.
We should create an ecosystem that encourages visitors to stay longer, travel further, spend more and return again.
CULTURE CAN CREATE JOBS
Tourism creates opportunities far beyond hotels.
It can create jobs for:
Tour guides • Drivers • Hoteliers • Chefs • Artists • Musicians • Fashion designers • Photographers • Videographers • Content creators • Event organisers • Craftspeople • Digital marketers • Security personnel • Tour operators • Restaurant owners • Retailers
When visitors spend money in our communities, that money circulates through the local economy.
Culture can become commerce without losing its identity.
OSUN MUST INVEST IN THE TOURISM ECONOMY
If we want tourism to contribute meaningfully to Osun’s economic growth, we need investment in:
🏨 Quality hotels and resorts
🛣️ Roads and transportation
✈️ Regional connectivity
🔐 Security and visitor safety
🌐 Digital tourism infrastructure
🎭 Cultural centres
🏛️ Museums and heritage sites
🍽️ Restaurants showcasing indigenous cuisine
🛍️ Cultural markets
🎨 Arts and craft centres
📱 Digital marketing and global promotion
🎓 Tourism and hospitality training
Most importantly, our communities must benefit economically from tourism.
Tourism development should not simply bring visitors into Osun; it should create income, businesses, employment and investment opportunities for Osun people.
PEACE AND SECURITY ARE ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE
There cannot be a successful tourism economy without security.
Every community that wants to benefit from tourism must help protect its peace, heritage and reputation.
A safe Osun is an investable Osun.
A peaceful Osun is a tourist-friendly Osun.
A secure Osun is an economically productive Osun.
This is why peace and security must be treated as fundamental components of Osun’s economic-development strategy.
Visitors will not travel to destinations where they feel unsafe. Investors will not commit capital where businesses cannot operate securely.
Security is therefore not only a law-and-order issue—it is an economic issue.
THE OSUN AGENDA
Osun Agenda believes our conversation should increasingly focus on three interconnected priorities:
1. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
How do we expand Osun’s economy, attract investment, create businesses, increase productivity and generate quality employment?
2. PEACE & SECURITY
How do we create communities where residents, businesses, investors and visitors can live, work and travel safely?
3. OPPORTUNITY
How do we ensure that the enormous human, cultural, agricultural, technological and natural resources of Osun are converted into opportunities for our people?
Osun should not simply preserve its heritage.
We must preserve it, promote it and create sustainable economic value from it.
The world is becoming increasingly interested in Yorùbá culture and heritage.
Osun must be ready to welcome the world.
The opportunity is enormous.
The question is whether we have the vision, infrastructure, security, investment, institutions and leadership required to capture it.
And this must be part of a much bigger economic ambition.
We should be asking ourselves:
What should Osun’s economy look like in 2030?
How do we build a $5 billion economy?
How do we get to $10 billion?
How do we ultimately build an economy capable of competing with leading cities and regions in Africa?
The answer will not come from government alone.
It will require government, the private sector, traditional institutions, communities, investors, universities, entrepreneurs, the diaspora and development partners working together.
Osun has the people.
Osun has the culture.
Osun has the agricultural potential.
Osun has the educational institutions.
Osun has the entrepreneurial spirit.
Osun has enormous untapped opportunities.
Now we need the ambition and strategy to convert those assets into economic value.
Osun must not merely preserve its heritage.
Osun must turn its heritage into opportunity.
Osun must turn opportunity into businesses.
Businesses into jobs.
Jobs into prosperity.
And prosperity into sustainable economic growth.
OSUN FIRST.
Putting Osun First. Building the Future.
OSUN AGENDA
Politics • Governance • Development
