This year, Tiffany Amber is celebrating its 15th anniversary. They, in collaboration with the Diamond Woman initiative by Diamond Bank, have selected 15 Nigerian women to highlight their achievements and contributions to the society. One of those women is Ms. Funke Opeke. She is the founder and CEO of Main One Cable; a premier technology company that provides innovative telecoms and network solutions to businesses, internet service providers, telecommunications networks, educational institutions, government agencies, etc., in Nigeria.
Ms. Opeke studied electrical and electronics engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, after which she received an M.Sc in electrical engineering from New York’s Columbia University. Following her education, she built a career in Information Technology while living in the United States. Before returning to Nigeria, she was an executive director for the wholesale division of Verizon.
In 2005, Ms. Opeke returned to Nigeria as the Chief Technical Officer for MTN Nigeria. After this, she served briefly as Chief Operating Officer at NITEL before establishing Main One Cable in 2010. Maybe by far the most inspiring of her achievements is Main One Cable; the first company to build a private submarine cable that runs through Portugal, Ghana and Lagos. She saw the need for better internet services in Nigeria, and she met that need. Currently, Main One boasts of a broadband service that is faster than your average; the fastest in the country.
I take the profile of Ms. Opeke a bit personal, because like other women such as Dr. Olajumoke Oduwole, she is one of the best role models a Nigerian girl can have. She is a bright example that there is a place for women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. She is the kind of person any young lady should look up to; to understand that you are only limited by your own vision, not your gender or skin colour.
About the author: Amina Salau is a writer and editor running The Illuminated Pen. You can find her online at www.theilluminatedpen.com and on Twitter (@_Aminah)
