Funke Opeke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Funke Opeke
Born	1961 (age 63–64) Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian
Education	Obafemi Awolowo University Columbia University
Known for	Electrical engineering
Notable work	Founder of Main Street Technologies
Awards	CNBC All Africa Businesswoman of the Year (2012) Africa's Most Powerful Women In Technology (2013)

Funke Opeke, born in 1961 in Ibadan, is a Nigerian electrical engineer. She is the founder of Main Street Technologies. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of Main One Cable Company. This company provides communication services from Lagos State, Nigeria.

Early Life and Education

Funke Opeke went to Queen's School in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She grew up in Ibadan, which is the capital city of Oyo State. Her family is from Ile-Oluji in Ondo state. She was one of nine children. Her father was the first Nigerian director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria. Her mother worked as a teacher.

Funke Opeke studied electrical engineering. She earned her first degree from Obafemi Awolowo University. Later, she received a master's degree from Columbia University in the United States. After finishing her studies, she worked in the ICT field. She was an executive director at Verizon in New York City. In 2005, she joined MTN Nigeria as their chief technical officer (CTO). She also worked as an adviser at Transcorp. For a short time, she was the chief operating officer of NITEL.

Building MainOne Cable

After returning to Nigeria, Funke Opeke started MainOne in 2008. She noticed that internet access in Nigeria was not very good. MainOne became a top company for communication services in West Africa.

Connecting West Africa

MainOne built West Africa's first privately owned undersea cable. This cable is 7,000 kilometers long. It stretches from Portugal to West Africa. It has connection points in several cities. These include Accra (Ghana), Dakar (Senegal), Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), and Lagos (Nigeria). Funke Opeke wanted to help her home country. This desire led to the creation of Africa's largest cable company.

Overcoming Challenges

Starting MainOne was not easy. Funke Opeke used all her savings. She also faced challenges in getting money for the business. She did a lot of planning and studies. These steps helped make Main One Cable Company a reality. In 2015, her company opened Nigeria's largest Tier III Data Center. They also extended a submarine cable from Lagos to Cameroon. Funke Opeke's achievements inspire many people. She is the creator of Mainstreet Technologies. This company developed the MainOne cable. It is a leading provider in West Africa.

Awards and Recognition

Funke Opeke has received several important awards for her work:

• In 2012, she was named CNBC All Africa Businesswoman of the Year.
• In 2013, she was recognized as one of Africa's Most Powerful Women In Technology.
• In 2018, Forbes magazine included her on their list of The World's Top 50 Women In Tech.
• In 2022, she was honored as an Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).