Okonjo-Iweala celebrates Forbes’ world’s most powerful women recognition

WTO Director-General, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Photo: X/Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

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World Trade Organisation Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has celebrated her inclusion on Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Powerful Women list for 2025, marking her eighth appearance on the prestigious ranking.

In a post via her verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, Okonjo-Iweala expressed her gratitude and reflected on the responsibility that comes with influence.

“Nice to make (for the eighth time) the @Forbes List of the 100 most powerful women of the world 2025 and to be on the cover of the magazine. With power comes responsibility! We are doing our best to fight for and reform the rules-based multilateral trading system, which the world needs to avoid a chaotic approach to world trade that would hurt the smallest and the least powerful countries,” she wrote.

She also congratulated her fellow African women on the list, including Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister, Suminwa Judith, CEO of Bidvest, Mpumi Madisa, CEO of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu, and Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley.

PUNCH Online earlier reported that the annual Forbes list recognises women who hold significant influence in business, politics, culture, and global leadership.

Okonjo-Iweala, ranked 92nd, is the first woman and first African to serve as WTO Director-General, a position she assumed in March 2021.

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

She previously served two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006.

The WTO boss 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 and is recognised for her belief in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and promote sustainable development.

Olugbenga is a fine-grained journalist with over nine years of experience. He loves the smell of a good lead and has a penchant for finding out interesting good reports.

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