The award celebrates women driving innovation, leadership, and lasting impact across the UK’s telecoms sector, and marks another milestone in Okafor’s remarkable journey from Nigeria to the global technology stage. Speaking after receiving the award in London, Okafor said she was overwhelmed by the recognition, having only known that she had been nominated by her colleagues. Before relocating to the UK, Okafor had built a diverse career as a poet, shoemaker and product manager, leading technology products and partnerships in Nigeria and Dubai. She recalled enduring repeated job rejections and working three different jobs to survive while struggling to establish herself in the UK technology market. Offering advice to young African women aspiring for careers in technology and telecommunications, she said: “Don’t wait for permission to belong.