Draft:Charles Odii
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Dr Charles Odii | |
|---|---|
| Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria | |
| President | Bola Tinubu |
| Preceded by | Dikko Umar Radda |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 May 1988 |
| Education | Covenant University, University of Oxford |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Director General |
Awards | The Sun Newspaper Award for Public Service |
Charles Okeibunor Odii (born 29 May 1988) is a Nigerian Entrepreneur and the current Director General Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.[1] He founded SME100Africa a platform empowering young entrepreneurs and small and medium scale enterprise to successfully scale and thrive in Africa[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Charles Odii, was born in Lagos State, Nigeria. He studied Management Information Systems at the Covenant University, graduating in 2009. He later pursued postgraduate studies earning his Master's degree in media and communications from Pan-African University, Lagos in 2013.[3] He enrolled for an EMBA degree at University of Oxford,
Career
[edit]Charles Odii is the current Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.[4] He was appointed on the 13th of October 2023 by President Bola Tinubu.[5]
Charles Odii is the Chairman ICSS National Steering committee.[6] This is the committee set up for the implementation GIZ ICSS Program in Nigeria. He also serves as the secretary Nigeria National Council of SMEs, [7] He is a Member of Nigerian Industrial Revolution work group.[8]
In 2025. He was awarded a "Hall of Fame" recognition by The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) for his work in transforming a government Agency SMEDAN
He was invited to serves as a member of the Environmental, Social, and Governance ESG Advisory Board established by the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association NECA[9]
He has taught various subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including starting and growing a business in an emerging economy. His research has focused on the impact of fintech companies on financial inclusion and e-commerce in Emerging economies. Prior to joining government Odii led the team at elephant healthcare as the country manager in Nigeria From 2021 to 2023,[10] where he Led the business development leadership in Nigeria to identify and source new pipeline, leading to close revenue and quota attainment. He was the senior vice president for Marketing for Softcom. He was in charge of Softcom's perception, brand positioning, brand engagement, storytelling, thought leadership, events, PR, human engagement, social media, traditional media.[11]
He has spoken at Global entrepreneurship congress 2024, 2025. World summit on information society WSIS forum 2026 WSIS he contributed to an article in The Harvard Business school Report – "Public Sector SME Grading System in Emerging Markets"[12]
In 2024 Charles Odii was invested as a National Policy Fellow by the Abuja Chamber of commerce and industry (ACCI) through its National Policy Advocacy Centre (NPAC). He is a 2017 fellow of the International visitors leadership program IVLP
Odii founded the Building resilient young Nigerian entrepreneurs initiative, an organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship among young people to engage in entrepreneurial nation-building. He has received awards such as Outstanding Administrator of the Year (2025): Honored at the Democracy Heroes Award Africa for his visionary leadership and strategic reforms at SMEDAN. The Sun Public Service Award (2023) Recognized by The Sun Nigeria for exceptional contributions and leadership in public service.[13]
Public Sector CEO of the Year award at the Independent Newspapers Annual Awards.[14]
Odii graduated from Covenant University with a second-class upper, Bsc in Management information systems 2009. He obtained a Masters degree in Marketing and communications From Pan Atlantic University.
Bibliography
[edit]- 2020: 21 Questions on entrepreneurship (SME100Africa)[15][16]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Magaji, Okeke, Odii...Tinubu appoints CEOs for CAC, SON, SMEDAN". The Cable. Lagos, Nigeria. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ↑ "SME100 Africa celebrates Entrepreneurs, Impact Makers in 25under25 Awards Ceremony 7th Edition". MSMEAfrica. Lagos, Nigeria. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ↑ "WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NEW SMEDAN DG: CHARLES ODII". The Authority. Lagos, Nigeria. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ↑ "Odii assumes duty as SMEDAN DG, pledges more funds for SMEs". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ↑ "Tinubu appoints new CEOS for CAC, SON, SMEDAN, others". Premiumtimes . Lagos, Nigeria. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ↑ "Over 42,000 Nigerian entrepreneurs impacted as GIZ expands ICSS initiative". The Nation (Nigeria)The Nation. Lagos, Nigeria. 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ "Shettima Inaugurates National Council On MSMEs, Calls For Technology Deployment". Leadership . Lagos, Nigeria. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Enoh launches workgroup to tackle industrial challenges". The Nation . Lagos, Nigeria. 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ↑ "NECA inaugurates ESG advisory board to drive sustainable business practices in Nigeria". The times of Abuja . Abuja, Nigeria. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ "What We Know About The New SMEDAN DG: Charles Odii". Thejour . Lagos, Nigeria. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ↑ "Softcom Unveils X: Banke Meshida Lawal, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Adebayo Oke-Lawal and a Host of Ostiaries Introduced to Innovative Solutions". Bellanaija . Lagos, Nigeria. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ↑ "Public Sector SME Grading System in Emerging Markets". HARVARD. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ↑ "The Sun Award Winners 2023: Charles Odii: Public Service Award". The Sun. Lagos, Nigeria. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ↑ "IndependentAwards2024: Odii Wins Public Sector CEO Of The Year Award". Independent. Lagos, Nigeria. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ↑ "SME100 Africa unveils '21 Questions on Entrepreneurship". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ↑ "Charles Odii releases his new book – 21 Questions on entrepreneurship". Pulse. Lagos, Nigeria. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
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