Born: July 31, 1972
Nationality: Nigerian
Profession: Social Entrepreneur, CSR Expert, Sustainability Leader
Notable Roles:
- Founder & President, Growing Businesses Foundation
- Full-time Board Member, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
- Former Group Chief Sustainability & Governance Officer, Dangote Industries Limited
Overview
Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien is a prominent Nigerian social entrepreneur and corporate sustainability expert, known for her work in Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) empowerment. She is the Founder and President of the Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF)—Nigeria’s largest BoP platform supporting CSR projects of multinational corporations.
In June 2022, she was appointed a full-time member of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), where she helps shape global corporate sustainability disclosures.
She was recognized by Bertelsmann AG as a Reinhard Mohn Fellow for her achievements in social entrepreneurship.
Awards & Recognition
- African Star Excellence Award in Business Development (2010)
Africa Conference on Women in Governance, Business and Community Leadership, London - Recognized contributor to policy reforms in Nigeria via work with IFC and government agencies.
Education
- Birthplace: Karlsruhe City, Germany
- Secondary School: Queen's College, Lagos (Graduated 1989)
- Bachelor's Degree: BSc Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- Doctorate: PhD in Social Ethics, Cultural Adaptation, Sustainability & Governance,
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Germany- Focus: African Models of Corporate Governance & Sustainability
- Executive Education:
- Wharton Business School
- INSEAD
- Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
Career Highlights
International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
- Full-time Board Member since 2022
- Influencing global standards on sustainability disclosures for businesses, investors, and regulators
Dangote Industries Limited (2017–2020)
- Inaugural Group Chief Sustainability and Governance Officer
- Oversaw sustainability strategy and implementation across 14 African countries
Boards, Committees & Advisory Roles
- German Government’s Sustainable Finance Advisory Board
- Good Governance Academy (Prof. Mervyn King)
- Growing Businesses Foundation
- ToroNet Association
- ESG Exchange
- GFANZ Africa, PAFA, and AFIAAR (Pan-African Initiatives)
- Chair: Integrated Reporting Advisory Board, ISSB
- Executive Member: Club of Rome
Academic Involvement
- Lagos Business School / Pan-Atlantic University:
Lecturer in Ethics, Sustainability, and Social Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship & Policy Engagement
- 1999: Founded Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF)
- Focus: Enterprise development at the Bottom of the Pyramid
- 2001: Founded Micro-enterprise Development Co-operation (MDC)
- Objective: Strengthen small businesses and financial intermediaries
- 2004–2005: African Representative, Bank für Orden und Mission, Germany
- 2012:
- Nominated Director, AB Microfinance Nigeria (by IFC)
- Appointed by Federal Ministry of Communication Technology to draft national ICT policy
- 2011:
- Joined Central Organizing Committee, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)
- Member, National Committee on Job Creation chaired by Aliko Dangote
Bibliography
| Title | Year | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership and Management Structures in the Economy: African Traditional Values Applied to Modern Issues of Sustainability and the Corporate Governance Function | 2007 | CIDJAP Printing Press | ISBN: 978-8062-59-8 |
| Africa Fund on Sustainability Micro-finance Bank: Our Role towards Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria | 2005 | CIDJAP Joint Publication | ISBN: 978-8062-54-7 |
| Development is about People, Business is about Ethics | 2003 | CIDJAP Joint Publication | ISBN: 978-049-240-2 |
| Afrika in Eigener Sache: Weissheit, Kultur und Leben der Igbo | 2003 | IKO Verlag für Interkulturelle Kommunikation | ISBN: 3-88939-691-7 |
| Understanding Africa: Traditional Legal Reasoning, Jurisprudence & Justice in Igboland | 2001 | CIDJAP Joint Publication | ISBN: 978-34677-3-5 |
External Links
- Growing Businesses Foundation(#)
- Bank für Orden und Mission, Germany(#)
- AB Microfinance Nigeria(#)
- Global Symposium for Women’s Entrepreneurship(#)
See Also
- International Finance Corporation (IFC)
- Club of Rome
- International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
- Dangote Group
- Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)