Professor Oghenetega Ighedo, a Nigerian-born mathematician from Delta State, has made history as the first Black woman to earn a PhD in Pure Mathematics from the University of South Africa (UNISA), breaking a long-standing institutional barrier.
Ighedo, who is an Associate Professor in UNISA’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, completed her doctoral programme in three years. Her achievement has drawn renewed attention to the need for greater representation of Black women in mathematics and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Ighedo began her academic journey at Delta State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Mathematics. She later earned a Master’s degree in Pure Mathematics from the University of Ibadan before proceeding to UNISA for her doctorate.
Her doctoral research, titled “Concerning ideals of pointfree function rings,” was completed in 2013 under the supervision of Professor Themba Dube. Records from UNISA’s institutional repository confirm the thesis and her doctoral qualification in Mathematics.
Ighedo has attributed her passion for mathematics partly to her mother, a retired mathematics teacher. She said watching her mother teach the subject sparked her interest and inspired her to pursue mathematics.
Beyond her personal passion, she said the limited number of Black mathematicians, particularly Black women in pure mathematics, also influenced her decision to specialise in the field.
Her journey was achieved alongside the responsibilities of marriage and motherhood. Ighedo began her PhD while married with two children and pregnant with her third child, yet completed the programme within three years.
She has encouraged young women not to allow adversity or societal expectations to limit their ambitions, particularly in fields where women remain underrepresented.
For Nigerian girls and women considering careers in STEM, Ighedo’s journey represents more than an academic milestone. It is a reminder that women can break barriers in highly specialised fields and create new possibilities for those coming behind them.
Her achievement has also been celebrated by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, which described the milestone as a source of pride for Nigeria.
