By Ayo Onikoyi

In a country where urban planning has traditionally lagged behind population growth, Olabode Soetan is pioneering a new era of data-driven urban management. As a Senior Consultant at Deloitte, Soetan leads a team focused on predictive analytics and digital twins for public-sector clients, transforming how Nigerian cities manage congestion, resource distribution, and infrastructure expansion.

Soetan’s contributions first made headlines in 2022 when his Urban SmartFlow Initiative in collaboration with Ogun State Ministry of Water Resources and USAID used machine learning to optimize water distribution in three districts. His model identified pressure anomalies, leak-prone zones, and inefficient pump cycles. The result: a 42% improvement in water delivery and a 37% reduction in maintenance-related disruptions.

He also developed predictive zoning models for Lagos State’s urban planning department. These tools integrated satellite data, census projections, and building permit histories to help the state forecast housing demand and school enrollment trends. One of his predictive scenarios was used to prioritize transport infrastructure in Eti-Osa LGA, improving traffic throughput during peak hours by 22%.

Soetan doesn’t stop at analytics; he champions capability transfer. Through Deloitte’s Data-for-Cities Lab, he trained over 200 civil engineers, planners, and local council executives to use simulation dashboards, assess policy impact, and run urban experiments.

His data-first approach is a game-changer for municipal governance. From digitizing community health planning in Port Harcourt to deploying flood risk heatmaps in Benin City, Soetan’s work redefines the role of data in building equitable, efficient, and future-ready African cities.