Nwamaka Nwobi Okoye
Nwamaka Nwobi Okoye is a Nigerian interior architect, author, and social entrepreneur. She is known for her work in design, entrepreneurship, and advocacy for ethical leadership in encouraging members of the African diaspora to return to contribute to the continent.
Nwamaka Nwobi Okoye
- Name
- Nwamaka Nwobi Okoye
- Birthplace
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Occupation
- Interior architect, writer and social entrepreneur
- Known for
- Founder of Housessories Ltd Gearshift Africa
- Education
- University of Nigeria BA in Architecture East Tennessee State University MA in Engineering
- Spouse
- Anthony Okoye
- Nationality
- Nigeria
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Nwamaka Nwobi Okoye is a Nigerian interior architect, author, and social entrepreneur. She is known for her work in design, entrepreneurship, and advocacy for ethical leadership in encouraging members of the African diaspora to return to contribute to the continent.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Nwamaka Nwobi Okoye • Birthplace — Lagos, Nigeria • Occupation — Interior architect, writer and social entrepreneur • Organization — Stanford Seed Transformation Program Nigeria • Known for — Founder of Housessories Ltd Gearshift Africa • Education — University of Nigeria BA in Architecture East Tennessee State University MA in Engineering • Spouse — Anthony Okoye • Children — 3 • Website — https: www.nwamakaokoye.com/
Early life and education
Early life and education
Okoye was born in the Iwaya neighborhood of Lagos, Nigeria, one of five children born to parents from Anambra State. Both of her parents were entrepreneurs. Her father owned an interior design business, which would later inspire her future career. At age sixteen, she began studying architecture at the University of Nigeria. After earning her Bachelor's degree in architecture, she moved to the United States to study interior design, as no university in Nigeria had courses in the subject at the time. Okoye pursued graduate studies in Interior Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design and earned a master's degree in Engineering Technology, specializing in Illustration and Multimedia from East Tennessee State University.
Career
Career
In 2007, Okoye returned to Nigeria with the intention of investing in the country. After living abroad, she considered it her duty to contribute back to the country of her birth. Okoye founded Housessories Ltd, a design and furniture manufacturing company. The company has since collaborated with organizations such as Fidelity Bank, Unilever, Mitsubishi Motors, and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority. Her design work often incorporates elements of sustainability and biophilic design using recycled materials. In 2018, Housessories Ltd, was named one of Nigeria's fastest-growing companies by Business Day.
Social entrepreneurship
Nwamaka Okoye Literature Prize
Okoye is the founder of Gearshift Africa, an organization supporting African storytellers and content creators. In 2024, Gearshift Africa established the Nwamaka Okoye Literature Prize, a competition for unpublished African writers. The inaugural theme, Coming of Age, received nearly 400 entries, with shortlisted works published in an anthology of the same name.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Motherhood, children have taught me love, forgiveness –Okoye, President, SSTN. The Punch. 3 February 2018.
- 2.Mrs. Nwamaka Okoye: Toast To A Remarkable Interior Designer. People & Power. 2017-11-24.
- 3.Rapheal. No place like home: How to invest in Nigeria. The Sun. 2024-03-07.
- 4.African entrepreneur Nwamaka Okoye reveals how Covid-19 is impacting her business – Africa Key Partners.
- 5.Latestnigeriannews. Being able to marry form and function is critical in furniture design 'Nwamaka Okoye, Housessories boss. Latest Nigerian News.
- 6.Being able to marry form and function is critical in furniture design –Nwamaka Okoye, Housessories boss. The Sun. 27 December 2020.
- 7.Murungi, Nelly. The journey so far: Nwamaka Okoye, managing director, Housessories (Nigeria). How we made it in Africa. 2020-02-25.
- 8.The case for good business. BusinessDay. 12 May 2024.
- 9.Housessories creative corporate office furniture design excites One Africa Media. BusinessDay. 2015-04-07.
- 10.Housessories creative corporate office furniture design excites One Africa Media. BusinessDay. 2015-04-07.
- 11.Obi, Daniel. Election: Group mobilises grassroots for Obi/Datti presidency -. BusinessDay. 2023-01-12.
- 12.Nwamaka Okoye. designgenre.
- 13.Nigeria: 'Our Goal Is to Help SMEs Scale-Up, End Cycle of Poverty in Nigeria'.
- 14.Sesan. Stanford Seed canvasses integrity for business success. The Punch. 2017-11-26.
- 15.punchng. Govt should stop competing with businesses for finance –Okoye. The Punch. 2017-11-16.
- 16.Rapheal. No place like home: How to invest in Nigeria. The Sun. 2024-03-07.
- 17.Navigating the Return: A Guide for African Entrepreneurs in the Diaspora. February 18, 2024.
- 18.Spreading the Joy of Writing through Nwamaka Okoye Literature Prize Competition. This Day.
- 19.Oboh. Nwamaka Okoye Literature Prize competition opens up for aspiring writers. Vanguard. 2024-03-16.
- 20.Edema, Grace. 'Creative writing promotes social values among learners'. The Punch. 2024-06-13.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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Social entrepreneurship
In addition to her work in design, Okoye co-founded Value Driven Leadership, an initiative to promote business ethics and governance. Okoye is an alumna and past president of the Stanford Seed Transformation Program Nigeria, a business leadership initiative by the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. The network provides training and support for entrepreneurs in Nigeria, with programs such as the Start-Up Impact Training for Entrepreneurs. For her work to support entrepreneurship in Nigeria, Okoye has been recognized with the Woman of Merit Gold Award by People and Power and named one of the Top 100 Women SME Entrepreneurs in Nigeria by Bank and Entrepreneur Africa Magazine. She also writes a regular column for Business Day Newspaper, discussing topics related to ethical leadership and sustainable business. In 2024, Okoye published Navigating the Return: A Guide for Aspiring African Entrepreneurs in the Diaspora – The Nigerian Case, offering practical advice for Africans in the diaspora considering returning to Nigeria to start businesses.