Dr. Ifeoma Bibiana Okoli is a remarkable woman who has overcome her visual impairment to achieve academic excellence. She recently became the first visually impaired woman to earn a PhD from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s premier university, and the first in her home state of Anambra. She also made history as the first student with special need to earn a PhD in the Special Persons Club, University of Ibadan, and the second visually impaired woman from St.Josephs Centre for the Visually Handicapped, Obudu, Cross River State to earn a PhD degree.

Dr. Okoli was not born blind. She developed a degenerative eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa when she was eight years old, and gradually lost her sight until she had to drop out of school in 1985, while writing her final examination in secondary school. Her parents tried to find a cure for her condition, but none was available. She went through a period of denial, grief and pain, until she enrolled at St. Joseph Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind, where she learned the skills that enabled her to pursue her education.

Dr. Okoli resolved to follow her academic dreams to the highest level possible. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Ebonyi State University in 2006, her Master’s degree in Educational Management from University of Ibadan in 2012, and her PhD in Educational Management from the same university in 2021. She was supervised by Prof Ikechukwu Ambrose Nwazuoke.

Dr. Okoli’s achievement is inspiring and motivating for many people, especially those with disabilities or special needs. She has shown that nothing is impossible with determination, resilience and hard work. She has also contributed to the body of knowledge in her field of study, and hopes to use her research findings to improve the educational system in Nigeria.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 39 million people who are blind and 253 million who have some form of vision impairment globally. In Nigeria, there are about 4.25 million people who are visually impaired, according to a 2018 report by Sightsavers Nigeria. These people face many challenges and barriers in accessing education, health care, employment, and social inclusion. Dr. Okoli’s story is a testament to the potential and value of people with disabilities, and a call for more support and opportunities for them.

Another amazing and gifted black woman making Ph.D waves is Alanka Babb. She was born with macular dystrophy, a rare eye condition that causes progressive vision loss and cannot be cured or corrected. She grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Guyana, where education was not a priority and disability support was nonexistent. She struggled to see the blackboard and read books, but she never gave up on her dreams.

She taught herself how to read at 13 by borrowing books from the library and falling in love with reading. She graduated from college in Guyana without any accommodations for her visual impairment. She moved to the US in 2015 to pursue a master’s degree in counseling education, where she learned about the Americans with Disabilities Act and received the support she needed to thrive academically.

She completed her master’s degree in 2019 and enrolled in a PhD program in education at Liberty University in 2020. She successfully defended her dissertation in 2022, becoming one of the few visually impaired people to earn a PhD in the US. Her research focused on the experiences of students with disabilities in higher education.

We at Rising Africa, would like to celebrate Dr. Ifeoma Okoli and Dr. Alanka Babb for their amazing achievements.

At Rising Africa, we believe in the limitless potential of Africans to create a prosperous future for the continent. Join us in celebrating African excellence and building a brighter future for Africa.