Why Sophia refuses to choose one dream

• The engineer, entrepreneur and mother building a life where ambition, business and family grow together

DAR ES SALAAM: BY day, Sophia Abeid builds cloud infrastructure that keeps millions of mobile subscribers connected.

Beyond the office, she builds businesses, creates food content, mentors young women and raises two children.

For the award-winning electronics and telecommunications engineer, entrepreneur and owner of Afifi’s Frozen Bites and Afifi’s Food Products, these roles are not competing identities. They are different expressions of the same purpose.

“I have always believed that I don’t have to limit myself to just one part of who I am,” she says.

That belief has shaped a career that defies the familiar expectation that women must choose between professional ambition, entrepreneurship and family life. Instead, she has chosen all three.

From engineering to entrepreneurship Sophia works in Subscriber Data Management and Cloud Infrastructure Engineering, a career she built after studying engineering and developing innovative technology solutions, including a file-tracking system that gained national recognition early in her career.

While engineering sharpened her technical expertise, it also became the foundation for her business mindset.

“I decided not to choose between engineering and entrepreneurship because I believe our passions can complement each other.”

That same analytical thinking now guides every stage of her food business—from sourcing ingredients and production to packaging, customer experience, marketing and delivery.

“When running a business, I think about the entire process,” she said.

“I also use data and technology to make decisions.” But entrepreneurship has taught her something engineering alone could not.

“In business, things don’t always go according to plan. You have to listen to your customers, adapt and continuously improve.”

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: start before you feel ready.

“Most importantly, don’t wait until the perfect time to start. Sometimes you start with what you have and grow from there.”

Breaking barriers in STEM Like many women entering technical careers, Sophia began her journey without many female role models in senior engineering positions.

“Early in my career, it was difficult to find women in senior technical positions whose paths I could learn from.”

Instead of allowing that reality to discourage her, she invested in strengthening her skills, seeking mentorship and taking on challenging assignments. Over time, her perspective changed.

“I realized that while I may not have had many role models to follow, I could become one.”

Today, mentoring young women has become one of her most meaningful commitments. She understands that representation is powerful because seeing someone who looks like you succeed can reshape what feels possible.

Motherhood without choosing less Sophia rejects the popular idea that successful women must somehow achieve perfect balance.

“I don’t think balance is something I have mastered perfectly,” she says. “It’s something I continuously work on.”

For her, balance looks more like careful planning, shifting priorities and accepting that different seasons demand different things.

She is equally determined to challenge another misconception— that motherhood should slow a woman’s ambitions.

“Being a mother does not mean I have to stop growing professionally, and being ambitious does not mean I love my family any less.”

She credits her husband, Tonny Kayage, with supporting both her personal journey and her entrepreneurial dreams, including providing the initial capital that helped launch her businesses.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a partner who has been incredibly supportive throughout my journey.”

Building more than a business Through her digital platforms, Sophia has turned food into something larger than recipes.

She uses her growing audience to encourage women and girls to believe they are capable of building careers, businesses and opportunities that reflect their unique talents.

“The biggest message I hope women and young girls take from my platform is that they are capable of more than they may realize.”

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She believes professional skills can become the foundation for entrepreneurship, while digital platforms can help women reach much wider markets. But access to technology alone is not enough.

Women also need financial literacy, mentorship, digital skills, access to financing, markets and supportive networks if they are to build sustainable businesses.

Changing the system Sophia believes lasting empowerment requires more than inspiring speeches.

She wants stronger investment in STEM education for girls through mentorship, scholarships and internships, alongside greater access to affordable financing, business training and digital opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

She also believes workplaces must better recognise the realities of motherhood.

“Policies and workplace practices that recognize the realities of motherhood can make a significant difference in helping women remain in the workforce and progress into leadership positions.”

Supportive maternity leave and flexible work arrangements, she says, have helped her continue growing professionally while raising her family.

“Empowerment is not just about giving women opportunities,” she says.

“It’s about creating systems where women can actually take advantage of those opportunities and succeed.”

Success beyond awards Despite receiving professional recognition for her work in engineering and innovation, Sophia says awards are not how she measures success.

“Awards are meaningful, and I’m grateful for them, but they’re not the only things that matter to me.

” For her, success means being present for her children, building businesses that create value and using her skills to open doors for others.

“If my journey can encourage another young girl to believe she can become an engineer, an entrepreneur or a leader, then I consider that a form of success.”

Looking ahead Five years from now, Sophia hopes to advance further in engineering, expand Afifi’s Frozen Bites and Afifi’s Food Products and deepen her work mentoring women pursuing careers in science and technology.

More than anything, she wants young Tanzanian girls to see that they never have to fit into a single box. “Don’t be afraid to be multidimensional,” she says.

“Pursue science and technology if that’s your passion, but don’t abandon your interests in business, food, art, fashion or creativity.”

And for every young woman who has ever questioned whether she belongs in technical or leadership spaces, Sophia offers one final reminder.

“Don’t let being a woman make you underestimate yourself. You belong in the room. Your ideas matter. Your voice matters. And you’re capable of building a career and a life that is uniquely yours.”