Abstract— According to recent statistics, there is an increasing growth in the percentage of older persons in almost every part of the world today is recorded. The rate at which the proportion of older persons increases in the population of developing countries is much faster than what is experienced in developed regions. Specifically, this trend is more predominant in developing economies with relatively much lower level of socio-economic development, particularly in Africa. In response to this, modern technological advances in semiconductor technology and wireless communication can be significantly exploited to drive the economic and social paradigm shifts associated with population ageing towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. In this paper, we designed and implemented a cost-effective smart assistive DTMF home automation system that utilizes a tele-remote circuit to control home appliances via existing cellular communication networks. This system adopted a GSM module as feedback device. Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) tones generated from keypads of mobile cell phones remotely control home devices and appliances. An integrated DTMF receiver decodes the tones and processes the information to control several devices using a relay switching system with an effective feedback mechanism. The digitally- controlled system overcomes the limited range of infrared and radio remote controls with the aid of available cellular communication systems. Therefore, older people of the populace can be provided with better ease of living at home by minimizing their movement and dependency at affordable cost. Index Terms—digital control system, DTMF, home automation, population ageing, smart home. I. INTRODUCTION ORLD’S population is ageing, considering the increasing percentage of older persons almost in every nation of the world [1]. In recent years, the number of older persons (people that are 60 years old and above) has increased significantly in most countries and regions, and that proportion is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades. Between 2015 and 2030, the number of people in the world aged 60 years or over is projected to grow by 56 per cent, from 901 million to 1.4 billion, and by 2050, the global population of older persons is projected to more than double its size in 2015, reaching nearly 2.1 billion [2]. Over the next 15 years, the number of older persons in Africa is expected to grow with a projected 64% increase in the population of people that are 60 years old and above [3]. Meanwhile, smart home automation provide the needed comfort that promote longevity in elderly people, living in their own homes with moderate independence [4]. A smart home can be viewed as an integration system, which takes advantage of a range of techniques such as computers, network communication as well as synthesized wireless technology to connect all indoor subsystems that attach to home appliances and household electrical devices. In this way, smart home technology enables households to effectively centralize the management and services in a home, provide them with all-round functions for internal information exchange and help to keep in instant contact with the outside world. Smart home applications employ microcontrollers to monitor ovens, washing machines, lighting, refrigerators, and HVAC facilities (Heating/Ventilation/Air-Conditioning) with respect to temperature or humidity and to adjust accordingly to meet the home owner’s requirements [5]. Frisardi and Imbimbo [6] expressed a smart home as “a residence equipped with technology that facilitates monitoring of residents to improve quality of life and promote physical independence, as well as to reduce caregiver burden”. Information technology can be leveraged to enhance independence and quality of life for elderly citizens [7]. Morris et al. [8] reported that older adults readily accept smart home technologies, especially if they benefited physical activity, independence and function and if privacy concerns were addressed. As a result of this, the authors suggested that there is a need for further scientific analysis of a range of smart home technologies to promote community living. Comparing the change in functional status in people who had smart technologies installed in their homes with those with no home modifications, functional status and cognition deteriorate in the general elderly population and the use of smart technologies may help to maintain these aspects and encourage ageing in place [9]. Numerous studies [10-26] have confirmed the feasibility of smart home automation for older persons in ageing population. Manuscript received July 15, 2016; revised August 8. 2016 A. A. Atayero, R. Ozara, S. I. Popoola, and V. O. Matthews are with the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria (corresponding author’s phone contact: +234-807- 886-6304; e-mail: atayero@covenantuniversity.edu.ng ). Development of Smart Assistive DTMF Home Automation System for Ageing Population Aderemi A. Atayero, Member, IAENG, Richard Ozara, Segun I. Popoola, Member, IAENG, Victor O. Matthews W Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2016 Vol I WCECS 2016, October 19-21, 2016, San Francisco, USA ISBN: 978-988-14047-1-8 ISSN: 2078-0958 (Print); ISSN: 2078-0966 (Online) WCECS 2016