Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, is the Co-Founder & Executive Chair of Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited, since 2010. Ms. Nwuneli is an expert on African agriculture and nutrition, entrepreneurship, social innovation, and youth development. She has over 25 years of international development experience.

Personal Attributes and Interests

• Ms. Nwuneli’s parents were both professors at the University of Nigeria.
• She is married to Mezuo Nwuneli.
• Her goal is to turn West Africa's food to its new gold.

Work Experience

• Visiting Scholar at Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, 2021-2022
• Founder Changing Narratives Africa
• Co-founder and Executive Chair of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition.
• Co-founder of AACE Foods
• Founder of Nourishing Africa
• Founder, NIA
• Founder, LEAP Africa
• Executive Director, FATE Foundation
• Management consultant with McKinsey & Company

Board and Advisor Roles

Ms. Nwuneli currently or previously served on the boards of:

• Trustee, Rockefeller Foundation
• Board Member, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.
• Board Member, Nigerian Breweries PLC.
• Board Member, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa 
• Board Member, Helios Fairfax Partners Corp.
• Board Member, Fairfax Africa Holdings Corp.
• Board Member, Royal DSM Sustainability Board, Netherlands
• Board Member, Nestle Nigeria Plc.
• Board Member, World Vegetable Center
• Board Member, Businessday Newspapers
• Board Member, Cornerstone Insurance Plc.

Accolades

• Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard Business School, 2021
• Named amongst Schwab Foundation's Social Innovators, 2020
• Honoree of the Global Fund for Women during their 25th Anniversary Celebration in San Francisco, 2013
• Winner of the Harvard Business School Nigeria Business Club 2013 Leading Social Entrepreneur Award
• Forbes: 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa, 2011
• Excellence Award from Anambra State, 2011
• Selected for Harvard Business School's Africa Business Club's Excellence Award, 2007
• Selected as Young Manager of the Year by THISDAY Newspapers (Nigeria's leading newspaper), 2005
• Received a National Honor – Member of the Federal Republic – from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on December 16, 2004
• Selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Davos; 2004
• Selected as a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland; 2002
• TED Global and TED Women speaker.
• Author, Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses, 2021
• Author, Social Innovation In Africa: A practical guide for scaling impact, 2016
• Author, Working for God in the Marketplace, 2005

Philanthropy, Community Service and Memberships

• Member, board of trustees, The Rockefeller Foundation
• Board Member, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
• Board Member, African Philanthropy Forum
• Board Member, Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum

Education

• M.B.A., Harvard Business School.
• Undergraduate degree with honours, Multinational and Strategic Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
• Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
• She is a TED Global speaker and her work has been featured on CNN, BBC, Bloomberg