Meet Oghenetega Ighedo, first black woman to earn pure mathematics PhD at UNISA
Professor Oghenetega Ighedo has become the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in Pure Mathematics from University of South Africa, marking a historic milestone in the institution’s 148-year history.
The Nigerian-born academic achieved the feat while serving as an Associate Professor in UNISA’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, completing her PhD in just three years despite balancing the responsibilities of motherhood.
Ighedo’s academic journey began at Delta State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Mathematics. She later earned a Master of Science in Pure Mathematics from University of Ibadan before pursuing her doctoral studies at UNISA.
She credited her passion for mathematics to her mother, a retired mathematics teacher, whose influence inspired her from an early age.
“I was inspired by my mother. I saw the way she taught mathematics, and as I grew older, I found it interesting and wanted to do it like her,” she said as quoted by Women Power Africa.
Ighedo also said the lack of diversity within the discipline motivated her to pursue advanced studies.
“My decision to study pure mathematics was motivated by the fact that not only are there few Black pure mathematicians, but there are even fewer Black women in the field,” she added.
Her achievement becomes even more remarkable considering the personal challenges she overcame during her studies. Ighedo disclosed that she enrolled for her PhD while married, raising two children and expecting a third. Despite those demands, she completed the programme within the prescribed three-year period.
She has since encouraged young women to remain focused on their goals, stressing that determination and resilience can help them overcome obstacles in their academic and professional journeys.
The breakthrough is being celebrated as an important step toward greater representation of Black women in mathematics and other STEM disciplines. It also underscores the growing contributions of African scholars to global research and higher education.
