Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu listed amongst Forbes 2025 most powerful women

Forbes has listed two prominent Nigerian women Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and renowned media executive Mo Abudu amongst the 2025 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

The annual ranking, released on Wednesday, recognizes women who are making significant impact in global leadership, business, culture, and technology.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, placed at No. 92, continues to be celebrated for her groundbreaking leadership as the first woman and the first African to head the WTO since March 2021. Forbes applauded her as an accomplished economist and development expert with over three decades of experience spanning multiple continents.

Before her WTO appointment, she served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and briefly as Foreign Affairs Minister. She also chaired the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has helped vaccinate more than 760 million children worldwide. Okonjo-Iweala holds degrees from Harvard University and MIT and is widely recognised for championing trade as a tool for reducing poverty in developing nations.

Joining her on the list is Mo Abudu, ranked No. 98, celebrated by Forbes as “one of the most influential women in global media.” Abudu, founder of EbonyLife Media, launched EbonyLife TV in 2006, and it now reaches audiences in more than 49 countries, including parts of Europe and the Caribbean.

Under her leadership, EbonyLife has secured landmark partnerships with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks, and Netflix—becoming the first African media company to sign a multi-title deal with the streaming giant. In November 2025, EbonyLife expanded further with the introduction of EbonyLife ON Plus, a new digital streaming platform available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Abudu, born in London, spent part of her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the United Kingdom.

At the top of the Forbes 2025 ranking is Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. She is followed by Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at No. 3, and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum at No. 5.

Other notable names include AMD CEO Lisa Su (No. 10), Alphabet’s Ruth Porat (No. 12), Microsoft’s Amy Hood (No. 16), and Meta CFO Susan Li (No. 41). Daniela Amodei (No. 73), co-founder of AI firm Anthropic, and Kim Kardashian (No. 71) also featured