He is a passionate advocate for the 40 million small businesses and as Team Lead at SMEDAN, is championing rural industrialization, job creation, poverty alleviation, and livelihood enhancement. Charles O. Odili’s uniqueness as a creative entrepreneur and inventor is a testament to his extraordinary blend of innovation, vision, and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of creativity. His entrepreneurial spirit is not bound by conventional norms but thrives on breaking new ground with interventions that revolutionize industries. Charles’ work as a creative entrepreneur and Small business advocate showcases a rare fusion of artistic flair and technical acumen, demonstrating that the intersection of creativity and innovation can lead to transformative breakthroughs.

Charles Odili is the Chief Executive Officer/Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). He is an author, entrepreneurship development expert, and small business advocate. Charles graduated from the Pan-Atlantic University in 2013 with a Masters in Media communications, specializing in Marketing & communications where he also enrolled for a doctoral degree. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Information Systems from Covenant University. Charles founded SME100Africa in 2015 and sits on the global advisory board. He has gained over a dozen years of experience in enterprise development and has been part of the team that successfully implemented several SME development projects such as in just a year in office, Charles O. Odili has led impactful initiatives resulting in the creation of over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and the facilitation of over 11 billion naira in funding for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

1. “100Talks”, a radio and web-based entrepreneurship news platform. www.100talks.ng

2. The National Small Business Summit, which brings together government, academia, the private sector, and small business owners to foster policies that can positively impact business in Nigeria. www.nigeria SME summit.org

3. Nigeria’s Youth Entrepreneurship Leadership Awards (N-Yelp) a.k.a 25 under 25 awards that annually recognizes highly innovative entrepreneurs under the age of 25 to encourage our youth to explore and invest their talents in Nigerian entrepreneurship. www.25under25.org

4. 100 Women to champion diversity in entrepreneurship.
www.100women.ng

5. 100 Club Africa, now present in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, and Nigeria, to stimulate an excitement for entrepreneurship among teenagers.

6. He doubles as the Managing Director of Global Entrepreneurship Network, Entrepreneurs World Cup (EWC) in Tanzania. 

In 2021, Charles joined Elephant Healthcare - a health tech company as the country manager, and before then was the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Softcom. 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, and Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. Charles is a certified Business Development Service Provider, a certified Microsoft enterprise software advisor, a mentor for the United States Young African Leaders’ Initiative, and an entrepreneurial Coach.