Nigerian-born product leader, Obiageli Okafor, popularly known as Obii, has been named Women in Telecoms Champion at the Comms Council UK Awards 2026.

She becomes the first African to receive the honour since the category was introduced.

Okafor, a Senior Product Manager at global cloud communications firm 8×8 and co-founder of the nonprofit PMHelp, was recognised for her contributions to the UK telecoms sector and her efforts to expand access to technology for professionals across Africa and beyond.

Speaking about the award, she expressed shock and gratitude to her family, colleagues, and the PMHelp community. She also reflected on her journey from Nigeria, noting that her younger self could never have imagined standing on a stage in London to receive such recognition.

The award highlights outstanding contributions by women in an industry where they still make up less than one-fifth of the workforce. Okafor previously worked in Nigeria and Dubai before relocating to the UK, where she faced several challenges before rebuilding her career.

She has also supported more than 52,000 professionals across over 70 countries through mentoring. Okafor recently released her first book, “Impossible to Ignore,” which focuses on building career visibility, and continues to advocate for greater inclusion of African women in technology leadership.

Photo credit: Vanguard News