Two prominent Nigerians, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have secured places on Forbes’ 2025 ranking of the 100 World’s Most Powerful Women, underscoring their expanding global influence in trade, governance and media.
The annual list, released on Wednesday via the magazine’s website, spotlights women shaping decision-making across business, politics, culture and international leadership. Okonjo-Iweala and Abudu appear alongside notable 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, positioned at No. 92, currently heads the World Trade Organization, becoming both the first woman and the first African to lead the institution since taking office in March 2021. Forbes hails 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.”
Before joining the WTO, she served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister — between 2003 and 2006 and again from 2011 to 2015 — and briefly held the role of Foreign Affairs Minister in 2006. She also chaired the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has “immunised more than 760 million children globally.”
A graduate of Harvard University with a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the 71-year-old mother of four is celebrated for championing trade as a tool for lifting developing nations out of poverty and driving inclusive growth.
Abudu, listed at No. 98, is a media executive, philanthropist and the founder of EbonyLife Media. She launched EbonyLife TV in 2006, and the network now broadcasts across more than 49 countries, including destinations in the UK and the Caribbean. Forbes credits her for helping the company seal strategic partnerships with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks and Netflix — with EbonyLife becoming the first African studio to sign a multi-title film and TV deal with the streaming giant.
In November 2025, EbonyLife deepened its digital footprint with the release of its new streaming app, EbonyLife ON Plus, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Born in London, Abudu spent part of her upbringing in Nigeria with her grandmother before moving back to the UK. Forbes describes her as “one of the most influential women in global media.”
The 2025 ranking also reflects the rising dominance of women in technology and artificial intelligence, featuring leaders such as AMD chief executive Lisa Su (No. 10), Alphabet President and CIO Ruth Porat (No. 12), Nvidia’s Colette Kress (No. 37), Meta’s CFO Susan Li (No. 41), and Microsoft’s Amy Hood (No. 16).
