Crystal Dike
Two prominent Nigerian women, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have been named among Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Powerful Women for 2025. The list, published on Wednesday on the magazine’s website, recognises influential women shaping global business, politics, media, and leadership.
Forbes noted the growing global impact of both women, who appear alongside leading 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 Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, a position she has held since March 2021. She is the first woman and first African to lead the WTO. Forbes described her as an economist and international development expert with more than 30 years of experience across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.
She previously served two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister (2003–2006 and 2011–2015) and briefly as Foreign Affairs Minister in 2006. Okonjo-Iweala also chaired the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has provided vaccines to over 760 million children. She holds degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
At 71, the mother of four continues to champion global trade as a tool for reducing poverty and driving sustainable development.
Media entrepreneur and philanthropist Mo Abudu is ranked 98th. Abudu, founder of EbonyLife Media, launched EbonyLife TV in 2006, and the network now broadcasts in more than 49 countries, including the UK and the Caribbean. Forbes credited her with securing major 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 launched its new digital platform, EbonyLife ON Plus, on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Abudu, who spent her early childhood in Nigeria before returning to London, is described by Forbes as “one of the most influential women in global media.”
This year’s list also highlights the increasing prominence of women in technology and artificial intelligence. Those recognised include AMD CEO Lisa Su (No. 10); Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet (No. 12); Colette Kress of Nvidia (No. 37); Meta CFO Susan Li (No. 41); and Microsoft’s Amy Hood (No. 16).
Others featured include Daniela Amodei (No. 73), co-founder and president of Anthropic, now a self-made billionaire following the company’s $183 billion valuation, and Sarah Friar (No. 50), Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI.
In entertainment, Kim Kardashian (No. 71) made the list after raising $225 million for Skims at a $5 billion valuation and launching NikeSKIMS with Nike. Meanwhile, the women of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (No. 100) were recognised for commanding a global fan base that cuts across age, gender, and geography.