Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Samia Suluhu and Mo Abudu among Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women

Nigeria's former minister of finance, now World Trade Organisation (WTO) DG Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu and Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu are the three Africans who made it to the Forbes' annual list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women.

Okonjo-Iweala is ranked 91, Suluhu 95 and Abudu 99 in the 19th annual list that spotlights “innovators and instigators leading on the world stage to redefine traditional power structures”.

This is the sixth time Okonjo-Iweala has made the list. Forbes wrote that the WTO head continues “to play a crucial role in providing financial assistance and promoting global trade as the threat of a global recession rises”.

“An honour and a privilege to be part of this list of a very distinguished group of women for the 6th time in my career. Congratulations to my other sisters. Let's continue to show that good governance, good public policy and a people-centred approach to work matters,” Okonjo-Iweala tweeted.

Suluhu featured on the list for the second time after her debut last year.

The 62-year-old became Tanzania's sixth president and first woman leader in March 2021 after the death of president John Magufuli. In September, she became the fifth woman African leader to address the UN general assembly.

According to Forbes, Suluhu has differentiated her leadership from her predecessor by implementing stricter Covid protocols, including mandatory quarantines for travellers from countries with new variants.

Originally from the island of Zanzibar, the Tanzanian leader has become popular regionally by building stronger economic ties with the rest of East Africa and has relaxed her predecessor's iron grip on the country's media.

Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu, one of the most powerful women in global media, also made the list for the second time. Abudu's EbonyLife TV, which she started in 2006, airs in more than 49 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and in the UK. EbonyLife TV has struck major partnership deals with Sony Pictures Television, AMC Networks and Netflix.

The deal with Netflix marked the first time an African media company signed a multi-title film and TV agreement with the streaming giant.

“It's an honour to be on this list, but it does not mean I or EbonyLife are challenge-free. I am no stranger to challenges, but a major obsession for me is finding ways to turn my challenges into amazing opportunities,” the 58-year-old posted on Instagram.

Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women list is a yearly ranking of high-profile women and is determined by four main metrics: money, media, impact and spheres of influence.

“The result is a collection of women who are fighting the status quo,” wrote Forbes.

This year's list was topped by EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen “for her leadership during the Ukraine war as well as her handling of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The article was originally published by Bird Story Agency