Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mo Abudu Shine on Forbes’ Power Women List

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Chief Executive Officer of the EbonyLife Group. Mo Abudu have once more been named among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the World.

The latest ranking placed Okonjo-Iweala at 89, making it a total of eight times she has made the list, while at 97, Abudu was in for the fourth consecutive year.

Okonjo-Iweala was recently re-elected the Director General of the WTO, the global trade body.

For her part, Abudu shared her excitement stating, “I am deeply humbled to feature once again on the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list. It is an incredible honor to represent the media and entertainment sector, to stand as a proud Black woman, and to fly the flag for Nigeria and Africa on this prestigious global platform.

“A huge congratulations to all the phenomenal women on this list! A special shoutout to my dearest sister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whose unwavering brilliance and leadership inspire us all year after year,” she said.

Mo Abudu emphasised the importance of representation, noting that seeing women of color and women from developing nations recognised globally inspires others to break barriers.

According to Forbes, “The good news, however, is that the 100 women on this year’s Power Women List are defying many of the headwinds challenging female progress. Just a few examples: In May, Malina Ngai took over as Group CEO of AS Watson—the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer. Melinda French Gates has pledged $1 billion over the next two years to advance women’s power globally. India finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is overseeing an economy that she says could soon become the world’s third-largest.

“For what might be the most heartening sign of progress, look to our neighbor to the south: In June, Claudia Sheinbaum won the Mexican presidency in a landslide victory that came just 71 years after Mexican women received the right to vote.

“Just because a woman is not in the top 100 of the Forbes Power List does not mean she lacks influence; there are many people whose power is on the rise.”

“A new study reveals fascinating gender differences in how men and women showcase their skills on LinkedIn, a platform widely used by recruiters to identify job candidates. Men are more likely to emphasise leadership and negotiation, while women focus on support-oriented skills. Even women who are already leaders are less likely than their male counterparts to tout their leadership skills.”

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