Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu Named Among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women Of 2025

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and media entrepreneur Mo Abudu have been listed among Forbes’ 100 most powerful women in the world for 2025.

Published on Wednesday, the ranking reflects Forbes’ broadened effort to highlight women reshaping global influence across industries. The 2025 list builds on franchises such as America’s Most Powerful Women in Business, the Most Powerful Women in Sports, and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, while introducing a dedicated focus on sports for the first time.

The magazine said the selection celebrates women driving progress in business, media, culture and political leadership.

Ranked 92nd, Okonjo-Iweala was described as an economist and development expert with over three decades of global experience. She became the first woman and first African to lead the WTO in March 2021. She has long maintained that she believes in “the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and drive sustainable development.”

Before joining the WTO, she served twice as Nigeria’s finance minister, briefly acted as foreign minister, and chaired the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has helped vaccinate more than 760 million children worldwide.

Abudu, listed 98th, was recognised as one of the most influential figures in global media. She founded EbonyLife TV in 2006, which now broadcasts across more than 49 countries. The company has sealed major partnerships with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks and Netflix — the latter marking the first multi-title film and TV agreement between an African media company and the streaming giant.

In November 2025, EbonyLife launched its new digital global platform, EbonyLife ON Plus, accessible on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Maggie McGrath, editor of ForbesWomen, said the ranking shows that power today “isn’t confined to any one sector or title.” She added that technology pioneers like Lisa Su and Daniela Amodei are “building the future,” while political leaders from Japan to Mexico are redefining governance. She also highlighted how cultural innovators — including the creators of KPop Demon Hunters — are shaping global influence.

The list also includes high-profile newcomers such as Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi, SKIMS co-founder Kim Kardashian, Namibia’s president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Lithuania’s prime minister Inga Ruginienė, ByteDance CFO Julie Gao, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar, Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, and FirstRand Group CEO Mary Vilakazi.

Forbes said the 2025 ranking continues its mission to spotlight women transforming economies, shaping culture and driving innovation worldwide.

Faridah Abdulkadiri