Loomertech

Being a Keynote Address delivered on the occasion of the Virtual Graduation Ceremony of the First Cohort of the Digital Literacy Training for Teachers (DLTT) Programme, held on Saturday 10th July, 2026

Delivered by Professor Seun Kolade, Project Director, DEFINED Project

Distinguished Chair of the Advisory Council, Ambassador Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu, the Odu’a Investment Foundation, Board Chairman Odu’a Investment Company, Otunba Bimbo Asiru, Group MD Mr Abdulrahman Yinusa ably represented by Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr Abiodun Bamiduro; Executive Secretary Odu’a Investment Company, Mrs Abiola Ajayi, members of the College of Mentors for the DEFINED Project, our fantastic Project team, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen-and, most importantly, our graduating teacher trainers.

Good afternoon.

Today is not merely the end of a training programme. It is the beginning of a movement.

Graduation ceremonies are often described as moments of completion. I prefer to see them differently. They are moments of commissioning. Today, you are not simply receiving certificates; you are receiving a responsibility.

You arrived here as teachers. You leave here as multipliers.

I want you to think about that for a moment.

For generations, teachers have shaped societies with chalk, books and blackboards. Today’s teachers must do something even more profound: they must prepare children for a future that is changing faster than any curriculum can be rewritten. Artificial intelligence, digital technologies and new ways of learning are transforming education across the world. Our children deserve teachers who are not intimidated by that future but are prepared to lead it.

That is exactly what this programme has sought to achieve.

Over the past five weeks, seventy-two teachers from across the six states of the South-West embarked on this journey. Sixty-seven completed it successfully, representing an exceptional completion rate of over 90 percent. Together, you mastered digital foundations, online collaboration, cloud technologies, content creation, coding, AI awareness, digital pedagogy and practical classroom innovation. Most importantly, every participant completed and presented a capstone project that demonstrated not just knowledge, but application.

Those statistics are impressive.

But numbers never tell the whole story.

Behind every completed assignment was a teacher who found time after long school days.

Behind every online session was someone who refused to allow network challenges or competing responsibilities to become excuses.

Behind every capstone project was a decision to grow.

That deserves our applause.

But there is another reason today is historic.

This programme was never designed to end with this cohort.

It was designed to begin with you.

The genius of the DLTT initiative lies in its cascading model. Each one of you is expected to train at least twenty additional teachers in your communities. That means this graduating class has the potential to directly equip well over a thousand teachers, bringing the Foundation closer to its ambitious goal of reaching 3,000 teachers before the end of this year.

That is how transformation happens.

Not through one spectacular intervention.

But through one teacher inspiring another.

One classroom influencing another.

One community changing another.

History repeatedly reminds us that the greatest revolutions are often educational before they become economic or political. Every nation that has transformed itself first invested in those who shape young minds.

That is why I often say that teachers are not simply preparing students for the future.

Teachers are preparing the future itself.

This is particularly important in our part of the world.

Africa is the youngest continent on earth. Our greatest resource is not oil. It is not minerals. It is not even technology.

Our greatest resource sits every morning in millions of classrooms.

Whether that generation becomes a demographic dividend or a demographic disappointment depends largely on the quality of the teachers standing before them.

And that is why what you have achieved today matters far beyond yourselves.

You are now digital ambassadors.

Innovation champions.

Builders of confidence.

Mentors to fellow teachers.

Bridge builders between traditional education and the digital future.

I therefore leave you with three simple challenges.

First, remain lifelong learners.

Technology changes too quickly for any of us to believe we have “arrived.” The best teachers are always students first.

Second, teach with courage.

Do not be afraid to experiment, innovate and embrace new approaches that improve learning outcomes for your students.

Third, never keep knowledge to yourselves.

Knowledge grows by being shared.

Influence grows by being multiplied.

Leadership grows by developing others.

That is the true spirit of this programme.

Before I conclude, I wish to express sincere appreciation to the Odu’a Investment Foundation for having the vision to invest not simply in technology, but in people. Technology alone does not transform education. Empowered teachers do.

I also congratulate the DEFINED Project Team, our facilitators, the College of Mentors, and everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this pioneering programme a success.

And finally, to our graduates.

Congratulations.

Wear your certificates with pride—but wear your responsibility with even greater pride.

Years from now, people may forget the date of this graduation.

But they will remember the students whose lives were changed because you chose to become better teachers.

They will remember classrooms where curiosity replaced fear.

Schools where innovation replaced routine.

Communities where opportunity replaced limitation.

That is your legacy.

Go and teach.

Go and lead.

Go and multiply.

And together, let us build a digitally empowered generation that will transform our schools, our communities and our nation.

Congratulations once again, and thank you.

God bless you all.

Professor Seun Kolade
Project Director, Digital Education for Innovation and Economic Development (DEFINED) Project
10th July, 2026.
Seun Kolade
Enterprise Republic

Happy Birthday to a queen of grace and strength.

Olori Iyabọde Dosumu, may your life be crowned with joy, your heart filled with peace, and your days overflow with blessings. May every new year bring you more light, love, and legacy.

Happiest Birthday to you Mom.

Wishes from Adeyinka Ọlasunkanmi Kasamasedaada and all of us
Ajisebi Oyo Radio TV