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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Nigerian wins UK’s Women in Telecoms Champion award

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Nigerian-born product leader Obii Okafor won the Women in Telecoms Champion award at the Comms Council UK Awards 2026.
  • Okafor is the first African to receive the honor, recognized for her contributions to UK telecoms and expanding technology access in Africa.
  • She founded PMHelp, which has supported over 52,000 professionals globally, and recently released a book on career visibility.

Obii Okafor, a Nigerian-born Senior Product Manager at 8x8 and Co-Founder of the nonprofit PMHelp, has achieved a significant milestone by winning the Women in Telecoms Champion award at the Comms Council UK Awards 2026. This makes her the first African to receive this prestigious honor since the award's inception.

I was genuinely shocked.

— Obii OkaforOkafor's initial reaction to winning the Women in Telecoms Champion award.

Okafor was recognized for her substantial contributions to the UK telecommunications sector and her dedicated work in broadening access to technology for professionals across Africa and beyond. The award celebrates women making outstanding contributions in UK telecoms, an industry where women are notably underrepresented, particularly at management levels.

Reflecting on the achievement, Okafor expressed profound gratitude, acknowledging the support from her family, colleagues at 8x8, and her PMHelp community. "My first thought was gratitude, for everyone who had believed in me... and for the younger version of myself in Nigeria who could never have imagined standing on a stage in London receiving recognition from an entire industry," she stated.

My first thought was gratitude, for everyone who had believed in me, from my family and colleagues at 8×8 to my PMHelp community, and for the younger version of myself in Nigeria who could never have imagined standing on a stage in London receiving recognition from an entire industry.

— Obii OkaforOkafor's reflection on the support system that contributed to her achievement.

Her journey to this recognition was not without challenges. Okafor previously worked in Nigeria and Dubai before relocating to the UK, where she faced job rejections and juggled multiple jobs. This experience fueled her passion to found PMHelp, an organization that has since mentored and supported over 52,000 professionals in more than 70 countries. She also co-founded Capstone, an AI platform for product managers. Okafor's award coincides with the release of her book, "Impossible to Ignore," which details strategies for enhancing career visibility.

Talent has no borders, and African women belong in every room where technology is being built, and decisions are being made.

— Obii OkaforOkafor's statement on the significance of her award for African women in technology.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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