Osun Tech Festival 2026: A Two-Day Showcase of Talent, Tech, and Belief.

Day 2 didn’t feel like an “extra day.”

It felt like Osun saying, okay, now that you’ve seen the energy… let’s talk systems.

Day 1 gave us the scene: over 1,000 young people in Osogbo with one shared mood, hunger. Hunger for skills, opportunity, and proof that the tech future Nigeria keeps attaching to one or two cities is actually possible anywhere.

Day 2 gave us the message behind the music:

Osun is not waiting to be rescued. Osun is building from where it is.

And honestly? That is the part that should make every founder, every young person, and every state in Nigeria uncomfortable in the best way.

A short recap of Day 1 (so you understand why Day 2 hit harder)

Day 1 of Osun Tech Festival 2026 carried the theme Homegrown Talent, Global Impact, and you could feel that ambition in the room.

At some point I got a few minutes with Governor Ademola Adeleke, and it wasn’t a one-question, one-answer moment.

It was a real conversation about where Osun is taking this tech thing.

When I asked where he sees it going, the Governor didn’t overexplain. He just said:

“All the way.”

And when I pushed a bit further on whether builders and partners coming into Osun will actually find support, he didn’t dodge it either:

“You’re still asking me? Come on down already. We’re ready for you.”

That combination is both an invitation and a promise.

But ecosystems do not grow on promises alone. They grow on repetition.

Day 2 was Osun trying to show repetition.

Day 2: the panels that mattered (and why they mattered)

Day 2 had a couple panel sessions, but three themes stood out because they hit the real problems Nigerian builders face:

• Developing local talent for global relevance
• Scaling African startups globally through AI
• Building inclusive tech ecosystems for youth and women

These aren’t “conference topics.”

These are survival topics.

Because the truth is: Nigeria has talent.

What we keep struggling with is structure.

And that is why Day 2 was important.

It wasn’t just “tech is the future.”

It was, “How do we build a future that people can actually enter?”

Developing local talent for global relevance

On this panel, voices like Sheriff Olayinka and Hauwa Abubakar helped put language to what most ecosystems ignore:

If the goal is “global relevance,” then the job is not to create vibes.

The job is to create pipelines.

Not everybody needs to relocate before they can become valuable.

Not everybody needs to “escape” to be successful.

And if Osun wants to win long-term, it will not be by exporting every sharp mind to another state.

It will be by building an environment where sharp minds can stay, build, and still compete globally.

Scaling African startups globally through AI

The point of this session was clear:

AI is no longer a “special” industry.

AI is now an advantage layer.

The question is not whether African startups will use AI.

The question is how founders will use it to:

• move faster
• make better decisions
• build stronger systems
• and compete globally without begging for permission

Building inclusive tech ecosystems for youth and women

This was one of the most important conversations of Day 2.

Because when people say “youth are the future,” it is often just a slogan.

When people say “women in tech,” it is often just branding.

But what happens when those two things become a deliberate strategy?

Panelists including Hauwa Abubakar, Amusan Ayomide Grace, Mrs. Funmilola Omojola, and Adebayo Falade helped push that question forward.

And Mrs. Omojola stood out to me.

An AI enthusiast who is passionate about making Nigerian women more tech-inclusive, but also pushing for children, especially from primary school, to be introduced early to the tools and thinking that will define the next decade.

That matters.

Because if we are serious about inclusion, we cannot start teaching people the future when they are already adults.

We need to start early.

The founder advice that hit home: sell solutions, not products

I had a Q&A moment with Oluwatomisin Badejo (Product Marketing Manager at GreyInvent). I asked what mistake she sees most founders make, and the advice was direct:

“Selling your product. That’s the problem. You’re not to sell the product, you’re to sell the solution to their problem.”

And when I asked how founders should sell their solution, she didn’t talk theory.

She said:

“Sell your solution using people’s feelings. Look for an immediate problem that people are feeling right now, and then sell them your solution as a chance for them to be in a better position than they are now.”

That is the type of advice founders need.

Not “post more.”

Not “run ads.”

Real positioning.

Real empathy.

Real urgency.

Kayode’s message

One of my favorite conversations was with OluwaKayode Fafiyebi (Cofounder and CTO of Innox Technologies), who is also building Lodgr.

His message wasn’t just about a product.

It was about a mindset:

You shouldn’t have to leave your state to live well.

He talked about Osun being affordable and viable.

He talked about the possibility of building from Osogbo without feeling like life only starts when you relocate.

He even dropped something that will sound small to some people, but is huge to founders thinking about runway:

“You can get an office space in Osogbo for around ₦120k per year, with good electricity and security.”

And that’s where the real point is:

The ecosystem is not only about talent.

It’s also about cost of building.

If a state can make building cheaper, safer, and more stable, it becomes a magnet.

Hauwa Abubakar: youth leadership, women leadership, and climate that feels local

Hauwa’s presence across Day 2 themes makes sense because she represents what Nigeria needs more of:

• youth leadership that is not just motivational
• women leadership that is not just representation
• and a problem space (climate) that is handled in a way that feels local

Hauwa is building PlanetCred to translate climate education into Nigerian languages like Hausa and Pidgin, and to turn climate advocacy into missions young people can actually complete.

Not just “I care.”

But action.

Proof.

Systems.

And that is the kind of founder story that inspires other founders to do better.

Special thanks: Hon. Azeez Badmus

I have to say this clearly:

Hon. Azeez Badmus deserves special thanks for his role in making this happen, and for bringing me into the event.

He is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Innovation, Science, Technology, and Digital Economy, and he had a large hand in the success of the festival.

Ecosystems don’t just grow because people are talented.

They grow because people put their weight behind talent.

And Hon. Azeez Badmus is one of those people.

The hackathon winners: where the festival turned into proof

If the panels were the theory, the hackathon was the proof.

It wasn’t just pitches.

It was “We built this. It works. Here’s why it matters.”

1st — AquaVise

AquaVise is building a smart water monitoring and recycling system for aquaculture using AI and sensors.

What I liked is that it is deep tech, but still extremely Nigerian.

Fish farmers losing money because water quality changes.

Manual monitoring.

Waste.

Loss.

AquaVise turns that into:

• real-time water monitoring
• automated pump control
• a live dashboard

Their quote says everything:

“The future of African food security must be intelligent, sustainable, and powered by our own homegrown solutions.”

2nd — Ploy AI

Ploy is an AI tool that turns everyday business conversations into structured financial records inside WhatsApp.

And if you understand Nigeria’s informal economy, you understand why that is powerful.

They are solving the “financial invisibility” problem.

Not with a big app people won’t open.

But inside the app people already use every day.

3rd — FireEyes

FireEyes is an AI-powered IoT system that detects fire risks early, alerts people, and moves toward suppression.

And their line is one of those lines that should not be normal, but is normal in Nigeria:

“We built this because preventable fire disasters should never cost lives in our communities.”

That’s not a startup slogan.

That’s reality.

Final thought: Osun is showing Nigeria something important

Osun Tech Festival 2026 is really about a state showing Nigeria that it doesn’t have to wait for others to come save it.

You can build from where you are.

You can create your own momentum.

You can create your own culture.

You can create your own tech story.

And when you do it long enough, the world stops acting surprised.

It just becomes normal.

One thing is clear: Osun is not asking for permission. Osun is moving.

If you want to see more of my experience at OTF 26, other events, and startup showcases, follow me on Instagram @obafelakilla.

I’ll be sharing more stories like this.

Cheers.