The prestigious Forbes list of the world’s most powerful women for 2023 was unveiled on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. 

This year’s list features 100 exceptional women who have made significant contributions in various fields, including business, media, politics, entertainment, and technology. The list was compiled using four main criteria: spheres of influence, money, media, and impact.

Among the notable figures on the list is Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization. 

Okonjo-Iweala and MO Abudu are the two Nigerians on the list

Dr Ngozi has served as Nigeria’s first female Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, successfully implementing various economic reforms that helped the country weather the 2008 financial crisis. 

Full list of Forbes world’s most powerful women 2023:

1. Ursula von der Leyen
2. Christine Lagarde
3. Kamala Harris 
4. Giorgia Meloni 
5. Taylor Swift
6. Karen Lynch
7. Jane Fraser
8. Abigail Johnson
9. Mary Barra
10. Melinda French Gates
11. Julie Sweet 
12. Kristalina Georgieva
13. MacKenzie Scott
14. Gail Boudreaux
15. Emma Walmsley
16. Ruth Porat
17. Safra Catz
18. Ana Patricia Botín
19. Carol Tomé
20. Sandy Ran Xu 
21. Kathryn McLay
22. Sarah London
23. Amy Hood 
24. Tarciana Paula Gomes Medeiros
25. Laurene Powell  
26. Catherine MacGregor 
27. Janet Yellen
28. Gwynne Shotwell
29. Phebe Novakovic
30. Tsai Ing-wen
31. Oprah Winfrey 
32. Nirmala Sitharaman
33. Ho Ching 
34. Thasunda Brown Duckett
35. Marianne Lake, Jennifer Piepszak
36. Beyoncé Knowles 
37. Shari Redstone
38. Kathy Warden
39. Dana Walden
40. Amanda Blanc
41. Susan Li 
42. Margherita Della Valle
43. Adena Friedman
44. Mary Callahan Erdoes 
45. Lynn Martin
46. Sheikh Hasina Wajed 
47. Sri Mulyani Indrawati
48. Gina Rinehart
49. Lisa Su
50. Vicki Hollub
51. Nicke Widyawati
52. Shemara Wikramanayake
53. Tricia Griffith
54. Jessica Tan
55. Judy Faulkner
56. Tokiko Shimizu 
57. Donna Langley 
58. Jennifer Salke 
59. Wang Laichun
60. Roshni Nadar Malhotra 
61. Jenny Johnson
62. Yuriko Koike
63. Hana Al Rostamani
64. Suzanne Scott
65. Lynn Good 
66. Sinead Gorman 
67. Bela Bajaria 
68. Belén Garijo
69. Melanie Kreis 
70. Soma Mondal
71. Paula Santilli
72. Mette Frederiksen
73. Joey Wat
74. Rihanna
75. Linda Thomas-Greenfield
76. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
77. Güler Sabanci
78. Trudy Shan Dai
79. Debra Crew 
80. Robyn Denholm 
81. Solina Chau
82. Lee Boo-jin 
83. Robyn Grew
84. Zuzana Caputova
85. Mary Meeker
86. Makiko Ono
87. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
88. Mpumi Madisa 
89. Melanie Perkins
90. Dominique Senequier 
91. Raja Easa Al Gurg
92. Julia Gillard
93. Samia Suluhu Hassan
94. Xiomara Castro
95. Kirsten Green
96. Choi Soo-yeon 
97. Jenny Lee 
98. Mo Abudu 
99. Mia Mottley 
100. Barbie