Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed delight over her continued recognition on Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Powerful Women list for 2025, marking her eighth appearance on the global ranking.
In a message shared via her verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Okonjo-Iweala thanked Forbes for the honour while underscoring the weight of responsibility that comes with global influence.
“Nice to make (for the eighth time) the @Forbes List of the 100 most powerful women of the world 2025 and to be on the cover of the magazine. With power comes responsibility! We are doing our best to fight for and reform the rules-based multilateral trading system, which the world needs to avoid a chaotic approach to world trade that would hurt the smallest and the least powerful countries,” she wrote.
She also congratulated other African women featured on the list, including Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah; Democratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa; Bidvest CEO, Mpumi Madisa; EbonyLife Group CEO, Mo Abudu; and Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley.
The annual Forbes ranking highlights women who hold significant influence across business, politics, global leadership, and culture.
Okonjo-Iweala, ranked 92nd this year, is the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, a role she assumed in March 2021. Forbes describes her as “an economist and international development professional” with more than 30 years of experience across multiple continents.
Her distinguished career includes two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and a brief stint as Foreign Minister in 2006. She also chaired the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has helped immunise more than 760 million children worldwide.
A Harvard and MIT-trained economist, Okonjo-Iweala is widely recognised for advocating the power of trade to lift developing nations out of poverty and promote sustainable global development.
