By Asaye Bankole
D Chronicle Media Ventures is set to honour renowned fashion entrepreneur, business and women’s empowerment advocate, Dr. Tinu Smith, with the prestigious 2026 Southwest Legends Award for her outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship, fashion, mentorship, skills development and community empowerment.
The award will be presented at the 2026 Southwest Legends Lecture and Awards, scheduled to hold on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at the Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Oyo State. The event will commence at 1:00 p.m.
Themed “Legends of Service: The Southwest Blueprint for Nation Building,” the annual programme is designed to celebrate distinguished individuals whose contributions to leadership, professional service, entrepreneurship and community development have created meaningful impact across the Southwest and Nigeria.
Dr. Smith is being recognised for more than three decades of remarkable achievements in the fashion industry, as well as her sustained commitment to empowering women and young people through entrepreneurship, vocational training, mentorship and business development.
She is the Chief Executive Officer of Datina Designs Fashion House and Fashion School, a fashion enterprise she has successfully managed for over 30 years.
The company operates retail outlets in Ibadan and Lagos, with Datina Designs and Tinu Smith among its clothing brands.
With an academic and professional background spanning Communication and Language Arts, Religious Studies, entrepreneurship and business management, Dr. Smith has distinguished herself by combining fashion entrepreneurship with initiatives aimed at promoting economic empowerment and sustainable enterprise development.
She is an alumna of Cornell University, United States, where she studied Women’s Entrepreneurship under a programme sponsored by Bank of America.
She is also a Goldman Sachs Scholar and studied Entrepreneurial Management through the Educational Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University/Lagos Business School.
Dr. Smith holds an MBA from the International School of Management, Lagos, and has undertaken additional training in business management at the CBN Enterprise Development Centre.
Her passion for women’s economic empowerment has seen her participate in several high-level entrepreneurship and leadership programmes.
She was among 200 women selected across Africa for the inaugural cohort of the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative Business Management Programme.
She was also among the first 100 Nigerian entrepreneurs selected for a business management training programme sponsored by the Development Bank of Nigeria.
Through her various initiatives, Dr. Smith has empowered more than 10,000 women with vocational skills, entrepreneurship training and opportunities for economic advancement.
She is a trainer with the Industrial Training Fund and a certified Technical University trainer.
She also leads the She Grows Africa Training and Innovation Hub and provides mentorship to women through platforms and organisations including Women in Africa, PAWEN, the Cherie Blair Foundation, the Tony Elumelu Foundation and WIMBIZ.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Corporate Mentoring and Coaching, Nigeria, Dr. Smith has served as a speaker at numerous conferences and programmes focusing on women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, business development and personal growth.
She is also a Girls and Women Speak Ambassador with IAWPA, in collaboration with the United Nations, and was a recipient of the 2025 United Nations Fashion Impact Fund.
Beyond her fashion enterprise, Dr. Smith is the convener of the South West Fashion Summit and Founder of Datcore Business Coaching Academy, an initiative dedicated to helping start-ups and emerging businesses overcome challenges and achieve sustainable growth.
She is also the Founder of She Grows Africa Women’s Cooperative, a non-governmental organisation focused on promoting financial inclusion and economic opportunities for women, and Co-Founder of She Tech Alliance Africa, which advocates digital inclusion and access to technology for women.
In addition, she runs Treasures Refuge Foundation, a social enterprise and mentoring platform committed to supporting, developing and mentoring young women.
The 2026 Southwest Legends Lecture and Awards will feature a keynote lecture, awards presentation and the unveiling of a special publication dedicated to the distinguished personalities being celebrated as Southwest Legends.
Professor Ambrose Ayelari, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, is scheduled to deliver the lecture, while Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, former President-General of the Maritime Workers Union, will serve as Chairman of the occasion.
Oyo State Governor, His Excellency Engr. Seyi Makinde, is expected to attend as the Special Guest of Honour.
The event is expected to bring together prominent academics, business leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, public figures and other stakeholders to celebrate individuals whose dedication to service, leadership and enterprise continues to contribute to the development of the Southwest and the nation.
For Dr. Tinu Smith, the award represents a significant recognition of her more than three decades of impact in fashion entrepreneurship and her unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for women and young people through skills acquisition, mentorship, business development and enterprise.
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