TradeDepot Appoints Chidi Akubuiro as MD for West Africa

TradeDepot has appointed former Coca-Cola HBC and Hayat Kimya Nigeria executive, Chidi Akubuiro, as the Managing Director for West Africa.

Chidi will continue to expand TradeDepot’s services in Nigeria and Ghana, as well as drive growth across English-speaking West Africa. TradeDepot is an African B2B eCommerce and embedded financing platform.

He comes into the role with extensive experience in the FMCG sector, having spent over a decade leading and delivering commercial success for some of the most in-demand consumer good brands on the continent.

Akubuiro has held roles at FMCG manufacturer Hayat Kimya Nigeria and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC), before he joined TradeDepot as Commercial Director in July 2020. At Hamat Kimya and Coca-Cola HBC, he designed, oversaw, and supported the implementation of various sales and growth strategies to drive revenue and meet sales objectives.

The experience he gained at the two companies will be leveraged to deepen relationships with key stakeholders in the retail sector and drive profitability in TradeDepot’s commercial operations.

“Chidi brings a wealth of experience that will be invaluable on our mission to make life easier for retailers across Africa. In his short time with us, he has made many valuable contributions that have put us in a stronger position to achieve our objectives and I am looking forward to working more closely with him to drive more success and profitability across the board.” Onyekachi Izukanne, CEO and co-founder of TradeDepot, said.

Commenting on his appointment, Chidi said, “TradeDepot has been at the cutting edge of innovation in Africa’s retail space for a long time and I am thrilled by the opportunity to support the delivery of more prosperity across the value chain. Our ecosystem is ripe with opportunities and I am confident that we can continue to deliver the solutions to realise these opportunities.”

TradeDepot has built itself as a supply partner for Africa’s retail ecosystem in recent years, leveraging its data, technology, and dependable logistical operations to get consumer goods from leading manufacturers into the hands of merchants who can sell them.

The company also provides credit lines to merchants through its ShopTopUp platform, allowing for better sales, higher margins, and other value-added services for all parties.

TradeDepot relieves the pressure on everyone else in the retail value chain by making it easier for manufacturers and distributors to get their products into more than 100,000 retail stores, and for retailers to access the inventory and financial services they need to run successful businesses, with active operations in 15 key cities across Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa, and an innovative merchant platform.