The Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been named among Forbes’ world’s most powerful women in 2025.
Iweala became the WTO DG in 2021.
READ ALSO: Okonjo-Iwela Makes Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women’s List
The economist, who is the first woman and African to lead the WTO, was ranked 92nd.
Also on the list is the Founder of EbonyLife, Mo Abudu, is was ranked 98th.
Iweala served as the minister of finance in the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
She also served as coordinating minister of the economy under the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.
Iweala had a career spanning over two decades at the World Bank, where she rose to become Managing Director for Operations from 2007 to 2011.
She is an advocate for policies aimed at improving lives and economies.
In 2024, the former minister was ranked 89th by Forbes, and 87th in 2023.
Forbes ranked Abudu, a media entreprenuer and philanthropist, 97th and
She has received recognition for her outstanding contributions to the media industry.
Ranked number one in 2025 is the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
She is followed by the President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde; the Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi; the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni; the Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum; and the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Accenture, Julie Sweet.
The Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful list recognises individuals across various sectors who have made significant global impacts.
They cut across sectors like politics, business, technology and entertainment.
