Chinyelu Susan Onwurah, widely known as Chi Onwurah, has been re-elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Newcastle Central and West. Onwurah, a Nigerian-British politician, secured a decisive victory with a majority of 11,060 votes out of a total of 18,875, reaffirming her strong support from the constituents.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Onwurah’s story is one of resilience and achievement. Born on 12 April 1965 in Wallsend, Northumberland, her early years were marked by significant upheaval. In the 1950s, her mother, a native of Newcastle, married a Nigerian student. The family moved to Awka, Nigeria, but their stay was cut short by the outbreak of the Biafra civil war. Forced to flee, Onwurah, her mother, and two siblings returned to Newcastle as refugees, while her father joined the Biafra army.
Onwurah attended Kenton School in Newcastle and went on to graduate from Imperial College, London in 1987 with a degree in electrical engineering. Her career began in the tech industry, where she was Director of Market Development with Teligent, a Global Wireless Local Loop operator and Director of Product Strategy at GTS. She has also worked for Cable & Wireless and Nortel as Engineer, Project and Product Manager in the UK and France. She became a Partner in Hammatan Ventures, a US technology consultancy, developing GSM markets in Nigeria and South Africa. Additionally, Onwurah earned an MBA from Manchester Business School and holds Chartered Engineer status.
Before her political career, Onwurah served as Head of Telecoms Technology at Ofcom, focusing on broadband provision. She was also an active member of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, serving on its National Executive, and its successor organisation, Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA). Her commitment to education saw her join the advisory board of the Open University Business School.
In 2010, Onwurah made history by becoming the first black person elected as an MP in Newcastle, representing Newcastle upon Tyne Central under the Labour Party. Her political career quickly progressed as she was appointed a junior shadow minister for Business, Innovation and Skills under Ed Miliband.
Onwurah’s influence continued to grow, and from October 2016 to April 2020, she served as the shadow minister for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation under Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. She was then appointed shadow minister for Science, Research, and Digital by Keir Starmer.
Her contributions to technology and science have been widely recognized. In 2018, she was inducted into the Computer Weekly “Most Influential Women in UK IT” Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was honoured as an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association. More recently, she joined the Advisory Board of the Open University Business School.
Chi Onwurah’s re-election as Labour MP for Newcastle Central and West highlights her enduring commitment to public service and her remarkable journey as a Nigerian-British woman breaking barriers and making significant contributions to both politics and technology.
Find out more about Chi Onwurah here
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