Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu Named Among Forbes’ 2025 List of 100 Most Powerful Women

Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu Named Among Forbes’ 2025 List of 100 Most Powerful Women

Two prominent Nigerian women, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have been featured in Forbes’ 2025 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, underscoring their global influence in trade, development, and media.

The ranking, released on Wednesday, celebrates women who shape global policy, business, technology, and culture. Okonjo-Iweala and Abudu appear alongside influential global leaders such as Ursula von der Leyen (No. 1), Christine Lagarde (No. 2), Sanae Takaichi (No. 3), Claudia Sheinbaum (No. 5), and Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (No. 79).

Okonjo-Iweala, ranked 92nd, is the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)—the first woman and first African to occupy the position since March 2021. Forbes describes her as “an economist and international development professional” with over 30 years of experience across multiple continents.

A former Nigeria Finance Minister who served two terms, Okonjo-Iweala also briefly held the role of Foreign Minister in 2006. She previously chaired the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, credited with immunising more than 760 million children globally. A Harvard and MIT alumna, she is recognised for championing trade as a pathway to poverty reduction and sustainable development.

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Mo Abudu, ranked 98th, is celebrated as one of the most influential women in global media. The founder of EbonyLife Media, she launched EbonyLife TV in 2006, which now broadcasts across more than 49 countries, including the UK and the Caribbean.

Forbes highlights Abudu’s landmark partnership deals with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks, and Netflix—making EbonyLife the first African media company to secure a multi-title agreement with the streaming giant. In November 2025, she expanded the brand with the launch of EbonyLife ON Plus, now available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

The 2025 list also reflects women’s increasing power in technology and artificial intelligence, featuring Lisa Su of AMD (No. 10), Ruth Porat of Alphabet (No. 12), Colette Kress of Nvidia (No. 37), Susan Li of Meta (No. 41), and Amy Hood of Microsoft (No. 16). Also included are Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei (No. 73), now a self-made billionaire, and OpenAI’s CFO Sarah Friar (No. 50).

In entertainment, Kim Kardashian (No. 71) earned a spot after raising $225 million for Skims at a $5 billion valuation and launching NikeSKIMS. Forbes also recognised the women of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (No. 100) for their global cultural impact.

Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu Named Among Forbes’ 2025 List of 100 Most Powerful Women