The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has moved 39 steps up in the latest Forbes list of Most Powerful Women in the World.
She moved from last year's ranking of number 83 to 44. Malawian President, Joyce Banda and her Liberian counterpart, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Shirleaf, ranked 40 and 70 respectively as well as Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija (90) are other African women on the Forbes latest list of Most Powerful Women in the World.
In an addendum accompanying the list, Forbes said since Okonjo-Iweala's comeback as Nigeria's Finance Minister, the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) had displayed a 6.8 per cent robust growth between 2012 and 2013, particularly given the relatively sluggish global recovery.
It stated that: "Okonjo-Iweala was key to developing the reform programmes that helped stabilise Nigeria's economy and improve governmental transparency," adding that "she has now turned her attention to Nigeria's 14 per cent unemployment rate."
In the newest Forbes ranking, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and Janet Yellen, recently appointed the first woman to head the United States Federal Reserve Board (Central Bank) occupy the number one and two spots respectively.
Melinda Gates, President Dilma Roussef of Brazil, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama also featured prominently on the list. Okonjo-Iweala has continued to haul local and international honours and awards. In April alone, she emerged one of the three recipients of the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Awards.
She was also featured among the world's '100 Most Influential People' by the popular Time Magazine, in the 'Leaders Category' of the list, which she shared with Chinese President, Xi Jinping; Secretary of State, United States of America, John Kerry; Russian President, Vladmir Putin; Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, and Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe among others.
By Ndubuisi Francis
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