Funke Opeke
Funke Opeke(born 1961) is a Nigerian electrical engineer, born into a lovely family and has six siblings; she grew up in Ibadan, Oyo State. Her father was the first indigenous Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria and her mum once worked as Head Teacher of different Catholic private schools in Ibadan. Funke is the foounder of Main Street Technologies and Chief Executive Officer of Main One Cable Company, a communications services company based in Lagos State, south-western Nigeria. After 20 years working in U.S. telecoms, Funke Opeke returned to her native Nigeria and commenced correcting that country's connectivity problems. The former Verizon executive joined public telecoms company NITEL.[1]
Awards
[edit]- CNBC All Africa Businesswoman of the Year (2012)
- Africa's Most Powerful Women In Technology (2013)
Quotes
[edit]- There is so much opportunity, there is so much need here that we need to transform our society, when you look around us. No one is going to do it for us and we also have to get our government on board with us to meet the aspirations of Nigerians because that’s what democracy is all about.
- “I came back from the US and the Internet had been exploding over there, but in Nigeria there was no Internet and no infrastructure. So we decided to put the pieces together and make this happen."Funke speaking on her vision to bridge the Digital divide in west africa
- “If we’re going to transform our society, our society needs to be developed. It’s a youth population, it’s education, access to information, it’s the ability to innovate. It’s giving young people access that is going to bring about the full benefits of this.”Speaking on her vision and the importance of internet connectivity for the African youths
- Every entrepreneur has to raise capital. If your business is going to grow, you have to raise capital. You have to be smart about raising capital, you have to be determined about raising capital.
- For anything you are trying to do, there are a thousand other people trying to do the same thing. Even if it costs a billion dollars.
- So if you are growing a business you have to be very deliberate and you have to do your homework on who exactly has the capacity to buy, how much money do you need, where should you prioritise your efforts.
- ...Now, of course, there are opportunities here, because we haven’t fully developed our society, that are not available elsewhere as well. So, it’s a risk-reward type of situation.
- While the developed world was fully connected, here in Nigeria the average young person didn’t know what the internet was.
- Remembering the situation in Nigeria the first time she arrived (24 September 2015)
- We can’t leave an entire generation of young people without proper access to the internet.
- “It’s not really that you are innovating new technologies, but you’re innovating processes. You’re innovating deployment methodologies. You’re being very resourceful in terms of how you get things done to deploy what is already known and established practice in other markets.”Funke speaking in an interview with Harvard business school
- A connected Nigeria is a more economically prosperous Nigeria.
- Speaking at MainOne’s annual tech conference, Nerds Unite (15 February 2019)
- When you look at the original vision and the potential and where we are, you will know that there is so much to do. If I get complacent I may have to step aside so that the vision can move forward.Funke speaking on the need to stay motivated
- “I don’t know that I am unique in that regard. It is all the things we learn: hard work, integrity and focus, but it is really about value creation. Each individual has to think about how they can utilize the opportunity and the assets they have to generate value and if you create value, you will be successful in business. That is what I strongly believe.Funke on the secret of her success
- Through MainOne, my goals and ambitions have become more focused on improving Internet access for the citizens of West Africa in order to drive economic growth and human development.Funke speaking on her aspirations for starting MainOne
- I believe mentorship programs for girls will provide the exposure, encouragement to acquire the foundational skills, and networks required for higher education and future career opportunities in technology.Funke on encouraging young Africans girls to pursue careers in tech
- The major challenges holding women back from success in this region are the lack of access to educational and professional opportunities and an inadequate number of female role models in the tech industry. However, African women are maximizing the opportunities that improved access to education and technology careers offer. Our representation in the industry is not far behind what you find in more advanced economies.Funke discussing the challenges facing African women in TECH
- We can promote more female empowerment in startups by creating a larger pool of women in tech, giving women in tech more visibility, and addressing challenges around gender bias with regards to funding.Funke speaking on the increased participation of women in the TECH space in Africa
- Do not be afraid to take bold steps and ask for help. The most successful people did not make it on their own. You need to find mentors and advisors along the way: experienced, wiser people who know a lot and can help you fulfill your aspirations.Funke's leadership advice to African women and girls in TECH
