Chika Unigwe was born and raised in Enugu, Nigeria

She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, an MA from the KU Leuven, Belgium and a PhD from the Leiden Universiteit, Holland.

Her fiction and poetry have appeared in several anthologies and journals including Wasafiri, Moving Worlds, Drumvoices Revue, Chimurenga  and Sentinel. 

Her debut novel was published in September 2005 by Meulenhoff and Manteau of Amsterdam/Antwerp. 

Her literary awards include a BBC Short Story award,  a Commonwealth Short Story award, an Equiano Fiction award. In 2004, she was shortlisted for the Caine Prize Award.

Her novel, De Feniks, has been shortlisted for the 2006 Dutch Vrouw & Kultuur Debuutprijs, a prize for the best first novel by a woman.

She lives in Belgium with her husband and children.