Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mo’ Abudu and 2 women of African decent listed in Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Women 2023
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala leads the trail of four Africam women that makes Forbes Magazine list of released on Tuesday, December 5.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo’ Abudu are the two Nigerian women along with Mpumi Madisa from South Africa and Samila Suluhu Hassan, politician and president of Tanzania since 2021.
The top three in The World’s Most Powerful Women 2023 are Ursula von der Leyen, the 13th president of the European Commission since 2019, Christine Lagard, a French politician and lawyer, served as President of the European Central Bank since 2019 having previously served as the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019 and Kamala Harris, an American politician and attorney who is the 49th and incumbent vice president of the United States.
According to the business trade publication, the women featured on the list were determined by “money, media, impact, and spheres of influence.”
“For political leaders, we weighed gross domestic products and populations; for corporate chiefs, revenues, valuations and employee counts were critical. Media mentions and social reach were analysed for all. The result: 100 women who are shaping the policies, products and political fights that define our world,” Forbes says.
With a career spanning 30 years, including a stint at the World Bank, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, and currently the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Okonjo-Iweala has been vocal about how economies can become more inclusive when women’s unique experiences are considered in economic planning. As Director-General of the WTO, she has advocated for fisheries subsidies in developing countries especially, which she said will impact the lives of women significantly.
Abudu is introduced in the magazine as a “media mogul and philanthropist.” As the founder of Ebony Life Media, she has been able to change the game in Nollywood, with a slate of movies that include Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman and The Wedding Party.
Abudu and Okonjo-Iweala are currently working on a docu-series, Black, Brilliant and Bold for Netflix.
