Charles Odii

Charles Odii is an author, entrepreneurship development expert and small
business advocate. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer/Director
General of the small and medium enterprises development agency of
Nigeria (SMEDAN) and was awarded the Sun Newspaper award for public
service.
His role involves stimulating, monitoring, and coordinating the development
of the SME sector in Nigeria which accounts for approximately forty million
SMEs, as well as initiating and articulating policies for small and medium
enterprises growth and development.
In his first few months in office, Charles O. Odii has led impactful initiatives
resulting in the creation of 15,000 jobs and the facilitation of over 8 billion
naira in funding for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) while driving
rural industrialization, poverty alleviation and livelihood enhancement in
Nigeria.
Charles is an alumnus of the US State Department, International Visitor
Leadership Program (IVLP) on global business Development. He is a
member of the Nigerian institute of Management, Advertising practitioners
council of Nigeria Charles is a certified Business Development Service
Provider, a mentor for the United States Young African Leaders’ Initiative
and an entrepreneurial Coach.
Charles is also passionate about women entrepreneurship development
and was listed in the 2024 Exquisite Magazine 50 Power People who
embody resilience, leadership & advocacy for women empowerment and
inclusion in Africa. He obtained a Master's degree from the Pan Atlantic
University and a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Information
systems from Covenant University.