Two prominent Nigerians, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo Abudu, have been named among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the World for 2025. The annual list highlights influential leaders in business, politics, media, technology, and global development.
The list features global 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, has served as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021. She is the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO. Forbes praised her three decades of work across multiple continents and her dedication to using trade to reduce poverty. She previously held two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister, briefly served as Foreign Minister, and chaired the Gavi Vaccine Alliance Board, which has helped immunise more than 760 million children worldwide.
Mo Abudu, placed 98th, is recognised for her influence in the global media industry. As founder of EbonyLife Media, she has built one of Africa’s most successful entertainment brands. Her company has secured major partnerships with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks, and Netflix — becoming the first African media company to sign a multi-title deal with the streaming giant. In November 2025, EbonyLife launched a new digital streaming platform, EbonyLife ON Plus.
The 2025 list also reflects growing female leadership in technology and artificial intelligence. Notable names include AMD CEO Lisa Su (No. 10), Alphabet President Ruth Porat (No. 12), Nvidia’s Colette Kress (No. 37), Meta’s Susan Li (No. 41), and Microsoft’s Amy Hood (No. 16). Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei (No. 73) and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar (No. 50) were also featured.
In entertainment, Kim Kardashian (No. 71) made the list after raising $225 million for Skims and launching a collaboration with Nike. Forbes also acknowledged the global success of the cast of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, ranked No. 100.
