City People Magazine, Nigeria’s foremost soft-sell and lifestyle publication known for recognising excellence in leadership, innovation, and social impact, is proud to present the 2022 Tech for Good Award to Olufunmilayo Ogunwole. Selected from a competitive pool of over 100,000 applicants, this award acknowledges her vital leadership in applying data science and automation to support national supply chain continuity during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
At the time of this award, Olufunmilayo is pursuing a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management at the prestigious University of Minnesota in the United States. Her academic training at one of the world’s leading institutions complemented her professional accomplishments, further cementing her position as a forward-thinking leader in supply chain resilience during global upheaval.
During the height of the pandemic, Olufunmilayo served as Manager of Data Science and Analytics (Supply Chain) at SAKL, Lagos, where she was directly responsible for stabilising critical operations during acute uncertainty. Her efforts ensured the uninterrupted movement of essential supplies across the country, supporting healthcare systems, industrial operations, and transportation networks when supply chain resilience was needed most.
With lockdowns, international delays, and workforce limitations placing extraordinary strain on logistics, Olufunmilayo developed real-time analytics frameworks that actively guided day-to-day decisions. She led the national spare parts distribution system with a 99.98% inventory accuracy rate, enabling teams to respond swiftly to shortages, manage replenishment intelligently, and minimise disruption. Her work not only improved visibility across business units, but it also built the digital infrastructure that allowed key stakeholders to act confidently under pressure.
In the face of operational volatility, she instituted predictive modelling tools, coordinated country-wide stock counts, and introduced streamlined standard operating procedures that eliminated costly lags and redundancies. She also facilitated cross-functional collaboration across HR, facilities, and logistics, ensuring that supply chain continuity was maintained even as field access remained constrained. Her leadership proved instrumental in protecting systems that millions depended on for stability and access.
Olufunmilayo brings over a decade of experience in using data and technology to drive real-world results. Her broader career includes the deployment of robotic process automation (RPA), scalable forecasting systems, and advanced analytics tools that consistently reduce costs, eliminate inefficiencies, and improve organisational responsiveness. She is widely regarded for her ability to apply complex systems thinking to the urgent, day-to-day realities of operational decision-making.
Earlier in the year, she authored a peer-reviewed article titled “Optimising Automated Pipelines for Real-Time Data Processing in Digital Media and E-Commerce”, published in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation. The paper introduces a framework for designing intelligent, latency-sensitive data systems that support real-time customer engagement, fraud detection, and process automation—solutions increasingly vital as more industries shift to digital-first operations under the ongoing strain of the pandemic.
The 2022 Tech for Good Award honours more than professional competence—it recognises courageous, visionary leadership at a time when society demands nothing less. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to test the resilience of nations, Olufunmilayo Ogunwole’s work stands as an extraordinary example of how data, when harnessed with clarity and compassion, becomes a tool for survival, stability, and hope.
Her ability to engineer nationwide supply continuity amid global disruption, while simultaneously advancing digital innovation and policy-relevant insights, places her among the most impactful technology leaders of this era. In a time defined by uncertainty, she delivered certainty through systems, strategy, and above all, through service. Her contributions are not only timely—they are transformative, and they are shaping the infrastructure of recovery for a nation still navigating a crisis.
