Cynthia Duru, a highly respected figure in the DevOps and cloud engineering landscape, has been named the winner of the “Outstanding DevOps Engineer Excellence Award” at the 2024 Africa Beacon of ICT (BoICT) Awards.
The prestigious ceremony, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos this April, brought together key players in Africa’s ICT ecosystem to recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the growth and innovation of the sector.
Duru, a Senior DevOps Engineer at Visa Europe, was honoured for her visionary leadership and groundbreaking work across sectors including digital health, maritime cybersecurity, and global payment technologies.
Her standout achievements include leading infrastructure lifecycle automation, cloud-native system designs, and high-performance CI/CD pipelines—culminating in her contributions to VisaGo, a product that gained international spotlight during the Olympics.
In addition to her work at Visa, Cynthia is the co-founder of Oratos Digital, a digital skills training company with operations in the UK and Nigeria. Through Oratos, she has trained and mentored a new wave of tech professionals, empowering learners with in-demand, industry-ready capabilities.
Her blend of technical excellence and passion for human capital development has significantly accelerated digital transformation efforts across both continents.
While presenting the award, Mr. Ken Nwogbo, publisher and editor-in-chief of Communications Week Media, praised Duru’s unwavering dedication and pioneering efforts in building resilient, scalable systems that power critical services across industries.
He commended her for setting new standards in DevOps excellence and her deep commitment to community engagement through mentorship and education.
In her heartfelt acceptance speech, Cynthia expressed gratitude to the BoICT Awards organizers, her colleagues, and her family.
“This award is not just a personal honor, but a recognition of the collective effort it takes to drive real impact. I’m inspired every day by the teams I work with and the students I mentor—this is for all of us who believe in the transformative power of technology,” she said.
The BoICT Awards, organized annually by Communications Week Media Limited, remains one of the most coveted honors in the African ICT industry. It aims to spotlight innovation, encourage excellence, and foster healthy competition among the continent’s leading technology stakeholders.
Cynthia Duru’s recognition is a powerful testament to the evolving importance of DevOps in shaping the future of ICT. Her achievements serve as a beacon for aspiring engineers, proving that technical mastery paired with a heart for mentorship can create lasting change in the tech ecosystem.
With this accolade, Cynthia further solidifies her reputation as a transformative leader in technology—one who not only builds systems but also builds people.
