Nelly Agbogu builds global marketplaces and digital platforms empowering African entrepreneurs to grow and scale.
In 2015, while working at an oil servicing company, Nelly Agbogu (a.k.a Naija Brand Chick) faced a personal challenge that would eventually redefine her career. Her son needed gluten-free snacks, but the options available in Nigeria were either too expensive or completely unavailable.
Determined to find a solution, she began experimenting with recipes at home, baking healthy alternatives that were safe for him to eat. Those kitchen experiments gradually evolved into a business idea, leading her to formally establish Nellies Nigeria in 2016, just days after she was made redundant from her corporate job.
What started as a mother’s response to a dietary need became a food brand built on innovation and persistence. Agbogu, who studied Architecture at Ahmadu Bello University, used her design mindset to reimagine food production. She focused on locally sourced ingredients, introducing Nigerians to baked snacks such as almond chin-chin and ugu chips under her brand, now renamed Come Again Foods.
In a market unfamiliar with gluten-free products, she spent years educating customers, conducting tastings, and promoting the benefits of healthy snacking. Her persistence paid off, and Nellies grew into a recognised name in Nigeria’s food manufacturing space, contributing to job creation and local sourcing.
However, Agbogu’s impact didn’t stop at food production. In 2018, she launched Naija Brand Chick (NBC), a digital empowerment platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses grow through social media and online visibility. She had noticed that many Nigerian entrepreneurs were producing quality goods but lacked the marketing knowledge to reach customers.
Through Naija Brand Chick, she began teaching them how to use technology, storytelling, and digital strategy to sell more effectively. Her signature program, Dominate Sales and Influence (DSI), became a practical guide for small business owners learning to convert followers into customers.
That same year, she founded the NBC Trade Fair, a large-scale marketplace where vendors could showcase their products directly to consumers. Since its inception, the trade fair has generated over $500 million in sales revenue for participating businesses and expanded internationally to the United Kingdom. Supported by organisations such as the Lagos State Government and Wema Bank PLC, the fair has become a critical driver of SME growth, offering visibility, networking, and cross-border opportunities to thousands of entrepreneurs.
In 2025, the NBC Trade Fair expanded globally to include major international exhibitions in London (August) and the USA (Houston and New York), as well as Paris and Accra, with a focus on connecting African MSMEs (especially female-owned enterprises) with international markets. The London event featured African fashion, food, and culture, while the platform includes special shipping rates from Nigeria for vendors.
Beyond her ventures, Nelly Agbogu has mentored over 100,000 entrepreneurs through her digital programs, live events, and online community. She currently serves as a director at the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), where she contributes to SME policy and digital transformation initiatives.
Her leadership has been recognised nationally and globally, earning her a Yahoo! Finance feature among the Top 20 Female Entrepreneurs, a Pulse Nigeria Business Influencer of the Year nomination, and an official commendation from the Governor of Lagos State for her role in advancing entrepreneurship.
Today, Nelly Agbogu is not only a sought-after speaker but also one of Nigeria’s most influential business strategists, creating measurable economic opportunities for African entrepreneurs.
