Okonjo-Iweala, Mo’ Abudu make Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Women list

American Business Magazine Forbes Magazine releases its list of The World’s Most Powerful Women 2023, on Tuesday, 5 December 2023.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mo’ Abudu are the only Nigerian women who made Forbes Magazine’s World’s Most Powerful Women 2023 list.

According to the magazine, the women featured on the list were determined by “money, media, impact, and spheres of influence.”

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“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 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 women’s lives significantly.

Abudu is heralded 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.

Also on the list are Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and US Vice President Kamala Harris.