Supply Chain Leadership & Innovation: Obinna Nwodo Wins Global Excellence Summit Awards

By Rebecca Ejifoma

Obinna Nwodo was recognized at the Global Excellence Summit & Awards 2025 held in Victoria Island, Lagos on May 24, 2025.

GESA 2025 was convened by Dr. Fatoumatta Gaye and organized in partnership with the African Union Agenda 2063 Ambassadorial Assembly, the International Society of Diplomats, the UNIPGC Africa, and the Nigeria-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Inc.

This award focused on advancing African leadership, innovation, and investment under the theme “Global Excellence in Diplomacy & Leadership: Africa’s Path to Prosperity.”

Following Nwodo’s regional and global achievements in procurement and supply chain, it is no surprise that this recognition has come at this time and adds to his many recognitions.

His leadership in supply chain has yielded measurable achievements of national and continental significance, primarily through capacity building and advocacy.

He founded the Young Supply Chain Professionals (YSCP) Community of Nigeria, which has rapidly grown to over 1,000 members, becoming the largest young professional community in Nigeria and a significant force in Africa. This initiative directly addresses national talent and infrastructural development.

Through YSCP, Nwodo has driven quantifiable improvements in Nigeria’s supply chain human capital. The community has successfully upskilled 700 procurement and supply chain officers through targeted learning and development programmes.

Furthermore, its mentorship programme has directly benefited approximately 450 young professionals, leading to accelerated career progression, new job acquisitions, and promotions, thereby strengthening the national talent pipeline.

YSCP has also facilitated over 60 job placements for its members into various companies, including multinationals operating within Nigeria.

SMEs have reported that thirty percent of members who directly engage with YSCP talent development initiatives secure promotions within one year.

Not afraid to take up new and tough challenges, Nwodo’s influence extends to shaping national discourse. He actively works to “sensitise the Presidency and various organisations regarding supply chain optimisation and its importance to economic growth and development.”

His authorship of books on supply chain topics further contributes to knowledge dissemination at a national level.

Nwodo has demonstrated impactful achievements in leveraging technology and promoting sustainability within the supply chain. A significant quantifiable success in technology application was his coordination of a warehouse automation process in Manchester, which resulted in a fifty percent reduction in dispatch errors, directly showcasing ERP-related operational optimisation.

He boasts leading about 60 ERP deployments both locally and internationally. He also led the deployment of the first premium restaurant pager system in the country.

According to Nwodo, he led the Passive project for the biggest telecom servicer where he was directly responsible for the network performance serving 120 million people.

He actively promotes “responsible procurement practices” and emphasises that “sustainability and ethics are key pillars” of his work.

His consistent advocacy for embedding sustainability into African supply chains, coupled with his technological focus, aims to build resilient and forward-looking operations.

While direct quantitative sustainability outcomes like emission reductions aren’t recorded, his strategic initiatives, authorship, and leadership in promoting these practices represent measurable commitments to a more sustainable supply chain future.

Currently, his spend portfolio is 144 Billion Nigerian Naira, this averages 14.4 billion naira annually. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), this figure is more than the annual internally generated revenue for Taraba, Yobe and Kebbi states respectively.

He also achieved tangible cost savings through tailored procurement strategies earning him a nickname from his colleagues “ridiculously efficient”.