Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu make Forbes’ world’s most powerful women 2025

File: Okonjo-Iweala and Mo-Abudu

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Two Nigerian women, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have been listed among Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Powerful Women for 2025.

The list, published on the magazine’s website on Wednesday, recognises women who hold significant influence in business, politics, culture, and global leadership.

It also highlights the growing impact of both Nigerian women in global trade and media.

They appear alongside world figures such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (No. 1), European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde (No. 2), Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi (No. 3), Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum (No. 5), and Namibia’s Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (No. 79).

Okonjo-Iweala, ranked 92nd, is the current Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.

She is the first woman and first African to hold the position, which she assumed in March 2021.

Forbes described her as “an economist and international development professional” with “more than 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.”

She previously served two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister from 2003 to 2006 and 2011 to 2015 and briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006.

She also chaired the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has “immunised more than 760 million children globally.”

Okonjo-Iweala holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The 71-year-old mother of four is recognised for her belief in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and promote sustainable development.

Mo Abudu, ranked 98th, is a media entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of EbonyLife Media.

She launched EbonyLife TV in 2006; the network now airs in more than 49 countries, including the UK and the Caribbean.

According to Forbes, she helped EbonyLife secure major partnership deals with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks, and Netflix, the first African media company to sign a multi-title film and TV agreement with the streaming giant.

In November 2025, the company launched a new digital platform, EbonyLife ON Plus, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Born in London, Abudu spent part of her childhood in Nigeria with her grandmother before returning to the UK.

She is described by Forbes as “one of the most influential women in global media.”

This year’s list also reflects women’s rising influence in technology and artificial intelligence, including Lisa Su, CEO of AMD (No. 10); Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet (No. 12); Colette Kress of Nvidia (No. 37); Susan Li of Meta (No. 41); and Amy Hood of Microsoft (No. 16).

Other notable figures include Daniela Amodei (No. 73), co-founder and president of Anthropic, who became a self-made billionaire after the company’s valuation reached $183 billion, and Sarah Friar (No. 50), CFO of OpenAI.

In entertainment, newcomer Kim Kardashian (No. 71) made the list after raising $225 million for Skims at a $5 billion valuation and launching NikeSKIMS with Nike.

Forbes also recognised the women of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (No. 100), who command a global fan base that transcends age, gender, and geography.

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