Nigerian-born executive first African woman to win UK telecoms champion award

Obiageli Obii Okafor, a Nigerian-born technology executive, has made history by becoming the first African woman to receive the Women in Telecoms Champion award at the Comms Council UK Awards. This prestigious honor celebrates women driving innovation, leadership, and long-term growth within the United Kingdom's telecommunications industry.

Okafor, who currently serves as a Senior Product Manager at 8×8, is also the founder of PMHelp. This non-profit organization is dedicated to fostering careers in technology, having already supported over 52,000 individuals across more than 70 countries through its mentoring, education, and career development programs.

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I was genuinely shocked. My first thought wasn’t that I had won an award. It was gratitude. I thought about everyone who believed in me from my family and close friends to my colleagues at 8×8 and the PMHelp community. Then I thought about the younger version of myself in Nigeria who could never have imagined standing on a stage in London receiving recognition from an entire industry.

Upon receiving the award in London, Okafor expressed her surprise and deep gratitude. "I was genuinely shocked. My first thought wasn’t that I had won an award. It was gratitude," she shared. "I thought about everyone who believed in me from my family and close friends to my colleagues at 8×8 and the PMHelp community. Then I thought about the younger version of myself in Nigeria who could never have imagined standing on a stage in London receiving recognition from an entire industry."

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I felt deeply humbled. Being the first African to receive this recognition means our people now know there are no barriers stopping us from achieving what we want. I hope it sends a message that talent has no borders and that African women belong in every room where technology is being built and decisions are being made.

She learned she was the first African recipient only after a friend called to congratulate her. "I felt deeply humbled. Being the first African to receive this recognition means our people now know there are no barriers stopping us from achieving what we want," Okafor stated. "I hope it sends a message that talent has no borders and that African women belong in every room where technology is being built and decisions are being made."

Okafor's journey to this achievement was not without its challenges. After a varied career in Nigeria and Dubai, she faced repeated job rejections and took on multiple jobs to support herself while trying to break into the UK's technology sector. "There were moments when I wondered if leaving home had been a mistake. My confidence slowly disappeared, but I decided I wouldn’t allow relocating to define the ceiling of my career," she recalled. Her experiences fueled the creation of PMHelp, which offers free career guidance to aspiring tech professionals.

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There were moments when I wondered if leaving home had been a mistake. My confidence slowly disappeared, but I decided I wouldn’t allow relocating to define the ceiling of my career.