Forbes recognises Okonjo-Iweala, Abudu among 2025 most powerful women globally
Forbes recognises Okonjo-Iweala, Abudu among 2025 most powerful women globally
Two Nigerian women, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have been named among Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Powerful Women for 2025. The list, released on Wednesday, celebrates influential women shaping business, politics, culture and global leadership, and highlights the expanding impact of both Nigerians in international trade and media. They appear alongside major global figures such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, Japan’s first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Namibia’s Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
Okonjo-Iweala, ranked 92nd, serves as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. She is the first woman and the first African to lead the body since assuming office in March 2021. Forbes describes her as an economist and international development expert with more than three decades of experience across multiple continents. Her previous roles include two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and a brief stint as Foreign Minister. She also chaired the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has immunised over 760 million children worldwide. With degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she is widely respected for her belief in the power of trade to lift developing nations out of poverty.
Abudu, ranked 98th, is a media entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of EbonyLife Media. Since launching EbonyLife TV in 2006, the network has expanded to more than 49 countries, including the UK and the Caribbean. Forbes highlights her role in securing groundbreaking partnership deals with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks and Netflix, making EbonyLife the first African media company to sign a multi-title agreement with the streaming giant. In November 2025, EbonyLife introduced a new digital platform, EbonyLife ON Plus, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Born in London and partly raised in Nigeria, Abudu is described as one of the world’s most influential media figures.
This year’s list also reflects women’s growing influence in technology and artificial intelligence, spotlighting personalities such as Lisa Su of AMD, Ruth Porat of Alphabet, Colette Kress of Nvidia, Susan Li of Meta, and Amy Hood of Microsoft. It also includes Daniela Amodei of Anthropic, whose company reached a valuation of $183 billion, and Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI. In entertainment, Kim Kardashian appears following major fundraising for Skims and the launch of NikeSKIMS with Nike. The women of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters also feature after building a global, cross-demographic fan base.
