Nigerian Icons: Okonjo-Iweala and Abudu on Forbes List

Two Nigerian women, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have been named in Forbes’ list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World for 2025. The list, released on the magazine’s website on Wednesday, honors women who have a major influence in business, politics, culture, and global leadership. It also showcases the increasing impact of these Nigerian women in global trade and media. They are listed alongside prominent 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, who is ranked 92nd, currently serves as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. She is the first woman and the first African to take on this role, which she began in March 2021.

Forbes has described her as “an economist and international development expert” with “over 30 years of experience across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.” She has previously held the position of Nigeria’s Finance Minister for two terms, from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2015, and she briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006. Additionally, she chaired the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has “immunised over 760 million children worldwide.” Okonjo-Iweala earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and her doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At 71 years old and a mother of four, she is celebrated for her belief in the potential of trade to help developing nations escape poverty and encourage sustainable development. Photo credit: Mo Abudu's Instagram page