Obiageli (Obii) Okafor, a Nigerian-born Senior Product Manager at 8×8 and founder of the nonprofit PMHelp, has been named 'Women in Telecoms' champion at the Comms Council UK Awards 2026. She is the first African to receive the honour, which recognises outstanding contributions to the UK telecommunications industry. Okafor leads strategic product initiatives at 8×8 and has grown PMHelp into a global support network that has assisted over 52,000 professionals across more than 70 countries through mentoring, education and career development.
Okafor learned of her win during the awards ceremony and described her reaction as shock and gratitude. She said she thought of her family, friends, colleagues and the PMHelp community, as well as her younger self in Nigeria who could not have imagined such an achievement. A friend informed her that she was the first African to win the award, a fact she had not known beforehand. She hopes the recognition signals that African women belong in technology leadership spaces and that talent has no borders.
Before relocating to the UK, Okafor worked as a product manager in Dubai and Nigeria, with earlier roles as a poet and shoemaker. Upon arrival, she faced repeated job rejections and worked three jobs while rebuilding her professional credibility. She credits her eventual success to refining her skills, expanding her network and demonstrating tangible results. Her experience inspired her to create PMHelp, a free platform to help others enter the tech sector. Okafor noted that breaking into UK telecoms as a Nigerian-born professional requires mastering unspoken cultural nuances, even when technically skilled.
Obiageli Okafor overcame repeated rejections and identity reset to reach a top UK telecoms honour while founding a global mentorship network. Her journey exposes the gap between technical ability and industry access for African professionals entering foreign markets.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
