AFRICA FRANCHISE INSTITUTE (AFI), AN INSTITUTE TO RECKON WITH

Chiagozie Nwizu is the Managing Director of Franchise Business Development Services (FBDS); a pioneer franchise development company in Nigeria which is a member of International Franchise Association, and Nigeria representative of World Franchise Associates. He is the Executive Director of Africa Franchise Institute and the pioneer President of Nigeria Franchise Association NAFBM.

Chiagozie is an International Franchise Development Consultant who has contributed in key capacity in the development of franchising in Nigeria. He sees franchising as a tool for building new roads to social, enterprise and economic development in Nigeria. He is a widely sought after consultant on social and economic impact development programmes and has both consulted for or worked with both foreign and government development agencies such as DFID; USAID; GIZ; Bank of Industry; NEPC; NIPC; Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – on Economic development; Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment; US Commercial Services; UK Department of Trade; Spanish Embassy and a whole lot of other organizations across sectors of the SME ecosystem.

Under his years as a pioneer franchise consultant, he achieved the following, to mention a few: Bringing together thousands of stakeholders from across all segments of the MSME ecosystem, to participate in, or support franchise development in Nigeria; Convening the 2018 & 2019 Franchise Agenda which brought key industry stakeholders together to structure franchise growth and opportunities for the year; Facilitating creation of single digit funds for start-ups (new franchises). Chiagozie has led and worked with a team of local and foreign experts that conducted a number of franchise consultancy services within Nigeria and abroad. Some of these services include: Tackling Access to Finance – The Potential of Franchising in Nigeria) –a DFID sponsored Nigeria Franchise Study; Development of Franchise Finance Proposition for Diamond Bank PLC – a DFID GEMS4 scheme; Micro-Franchising Support For the Edo State Investment Portfolio (ESIP) – A project to scale franchise eligible enterprises in Edo State, scaling job and investment opportunities; Production of annual and other periodic Nigeria Franchise Industry Reports; Consulting for Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment and a host of other organizations to impact SMEs through franchising.

His goal is to reduce 80% MSME failure in Nigeria, and help people who cannot build businesses to buy one from successful and proven brands, at same time helping such successful brands to expand beyond borders through franchising. He is on a mission to making franchising the preferred business venture model in Nigeria as a strategic means of building sustainable businesses that operate best practices. Through his services and promotion of franchising, new jobs and other economic opportunities have been created in Nigeria.

Managing partner, Ciuci consulting; Director General, Delta Economic Summit Group. He is an innovation strategist, corporate development and consumer intelligence expert. Also known as CCM, he is considered by many as a social entrepreneur, having contributed to the successful setup and transformation of numerous businesses. His experience covers various functions in several industries, including financial services, telecoms, media, entertainment, retail and the public sector. He is adept in formulating corporate and marketing strategies as well as providing solutions using technology and innovation. He started his career in the United States, where he worked as an analyst at Citigroup’s private client business in Florida, before becoming the branch manager of a credit union.

He has an MBA and a PGD in Strategy and Innovation, both from University of Oxford, UK and a BA in Business Administration from Warner University, Florida, USA where he graduated with Honors and was also the university’s first black student union president. He received several awards including “Who’s Who” in American Universities and Colleges’ and the United States Achievement Academy Award given to top students in the country. He has also attended management programmes at Harvard Business School and INSEAD.

His passion for development on the African continent led him to establish Ciuci (pronounced see you- see) Consulting with two objectives – to provide advice to businesses in Africa and to develop locally based human capacity amidst a challenging educational and economic environment. He has led the 11-year-old firm, which focuses on strategy and consumer intelligence to become one of the leading business advisory firms in the African region that has executed over 250 projects and published over 100 research reports and articles.

He has been involved in the growth stories and incubation of a number of successful products and City of Lagos Monopoly game; House of Tara; and the Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA), a leadership institute for the healthcare sector with collaborators such as Cambridge and Duke Universities.
Chukwuka is currently the Director General of Delta Economic Summit Group, a private sector led think tank focused on influencing and delivering positive and strategic change most especially economic development in Delta State. As the inaugural DG, he hopes to work with the strong membership to promote socioeconomic development, as he strongly believes that the great future of the state is hinged on successful collaboration between the private and public sectors. He is developing innovative programs to make small businesses bankable.

He is an execution minded coach and orator who speaks at different events around the world especially as it concerns the youth, capacity development and entrepreneurship.

Mazi Samuel Iheanyichukwu Ohuabunwa was born on the 16th of August, 1950; married to Lady Stella Omude Ohuabunwa, blessed with children and grand-children, has been honored severally by his community, profession and industry, but significantly he has been honoured twice by the Nation- Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), in 2001, and Officer of the order of the Federal Republic (OFR), in 2011 and National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award in 2018. Mazi Samuel Iheanyichukwu Ohuabunwa is a proven leader, Lay Minister, social worker, entrepreneur, Nation Builder, columnist in three national dailies and author all rolled into one and he credits all his successes to the grace of God.

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa read Pharmacy at the University of Ife (Now OAU) graduating in 1976. He did Postgraduate training in Business and Organizational Management at the Columbia University, N.Y, USA and the Lagos Business School, Lagos. He joined Pfizer Products Plc. in 1978 as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative and rose to become the Chairman/CEO in 1993.

In 1997, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa led the Management Buy-Over of Pfizer Inc. shares in Pfizer Products Plc., transforming the resultant company – Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc. into a medium-sized Nigerian R&D Based Pharmaceutical company. He voluntarily retired from the company after 33 years’ service in the industry, 18 years of which were at CEO level.

Mazi Ohuabunwa is a fellow of several professional organizations, the most prominent being, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN), the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy (FNA. Pharm), the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPC. Pharm), the Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM), the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (FNIMN), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (FNIPR), the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC) and the Association of Corporate Governance Professionals in Nigeria (FCG).

Mazi Sam is a Past Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Past President, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Past Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ikeja and once National President of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC).
Mazi Sam founded the Sam Ohuabunwa Foundation for Economic Empowerment (SOFEE) in 2009, serves as the Managing Consultant of Starteam Consult, Chairman of the African Centre for Business Development, Strategy & Innovation (ACBDSI), and serves on the board of several other Organizations – for-profit and not-for-profit, public and private, particularly as the Chairman of the Abia Public-Private Partnerships & Investment Promotions Governing Council. He was a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) and served as a member of the Presidential Committee on Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (SURE-P).

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa is a Christian, a Knight of Saint Christopher (KSC) of the Anglican Communion and serves as the National Coordinator – Strategic Operations of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI), Nigeria and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Global Fund For Jesus (GFFJ), Nigeria Chapter.