Route to Market West Africa Summit 2025 Wraps Up with Resounding Success

The Route to Market (RTM) West Africa Summit 2025, proudly sponsored by Excite Panacea, concluded with outstanding success after two dynamic days of thought leadership, innovation, and strategic collaboration.

Held on June 19–20 at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, the summit welcomed over 1,000 attendees, including senior executives, operators, and innovators from across Nigeria and West Africa.

For the organisers they would continue to champion consumer-centric innovation across West Africa’s FMCG Landscape.

Themed ‘Consumer-Centric Growth and Market Resilience’, the summit tackled the evolving challenges and opportunities within the FMCG and technology ecosystem across West Africa.

During the event, the CEO of Bhojsons Plc, Narendra Nagarkar, delivered keynote address titled ‘Building a Consumer-Centric Route to Market: Harnessing Insights and Technology for Success’ , while the Managing Director of PZ Cussons Nigeria, Oghale Elueni, spoke on ‘Building Resilience in West Africa’s Dynamic Markets: Strengthening Route to Market for Consumer-Centric Growth’.

The summit featured six insightful panel sessions and a fireside chat, with participation from top industry leaders across various sectors.

The first panel, ‘Economic Factors Affecting Consumer Markets’ included Victor Ndukauba (Afrinvest), Ugo Obichukwu (Nairametrics), and Modupe Femi-Okunbanjo (Unilever), and was moderated by Gbesan Olatunji.

The second session, ‘Leveraging Technology for Market Access’ featured Adesegun Orafidiya (BAT), Ezekiel Olajolo (Moniepoint), and Godson Nkeokelonye (Excite Panacea), with Mark Wilhem serving as the moderator.

In the third panel, titled ‘Consumer-Centric Marketing Strategies’ speakers included Emeke Nwodo (Perfetti Van Melle), Segun Ogunleye (Diageo), Tola Bamigbaiye Elatuyi (Meristem), and Maureen Ifada (FC WAMCO), moderated by Femi Ogundoro.

The fourth session, ‘Data-Driven Decision Making’ brought together Peter Mofoke (Kantar), Austyne Umeh (PZ Cussons), and Bukola Akinpelu (Unilever), with Adebola Afolabi as moderator.

The fifth panel, ‘Understanding Consumer Trends in West Africa’ featured Ayobami Aiyedogbon (Danone), Feyi Olubodun (Open Squares Africa), Barong Asiodu (Rite Foods), and Franklin Ozekhome (Makvrade), and was moderated by Ifeayin Benjamin (Coca-Cola).

Finally, the sixth panel, ‘Building Effective Sales Strategies’, included Prahlad Gangadharan (OmniBiz), Anthonilious Okojie (Lafarge Africa), Anselem Ikeotuonye (Nigerbev), and Adebola Arotiowa (Chivita|Hollandia), with Abrianna Bossman moderating the session.

A fireside chat with Oghale Elueni and Godson Nkeokelonye, MD of Excite Panacea, offered practical strategies for evolving retail ecosystems.

The organisers noted that the event was supported by sponsors like Excite Panacea (Title Sponsor & Technology Partner), PZ Cussons, Nigerbev (Makers of Best Drinks), Coca-Cola Nigeria and Danone Nigeria.

These partners, according to them, played a vital role in advancing the summit’s mission to drive innovation and collaboration across the region’s distribution landscape.

Looking Ahead the Managing Director of Excite Panacea, Godson Nkeokelonye, said that , “The summit was not just about ideas; it was about action. We’re proud to see such strong collaboration across brands, distributors, and enablers committed to shaping the future of consumer access in West Africa.

“Excite Panacea is a dynamic supply chain technology company that empowers Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to optimize their operations across complex value chains.

“By blending advanced technologies with deep industry insight, we deliver innovative technology services that drive operational efficiency, and enable data-driven decision-making across the supply chain.”