Most powerful African women in the world 2023

• Business Insider Africa presents the list of most powerful African women in the world 2023.
• This list is courtesy of Forbes. 
• Four African women were mentioned in a list of 64 women. 

This esteemed list, which is compiled yearly by Forbes, a well-known business and financial magazine, honors women who have broken etched their names into the period under review with groundbreaking feats, and become leaders in their respective sectors.

On December 5th, Forbes released its 2023 Most Powerful Women in the World’s list, ranking 64 of the most powerful women in the world. The list features women from all works of life, including entertainment, business, politics, philanthropy and more. 

Each continent in the world was represented, some more than others, but a representation no less, and Africa was no exception. 

Read also: Top 5 best African companies to work for in 2023

With that said, below are the African women listed in Forbes’ “The World’s Most Powerful Women” 2023. 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala:

Nigerian economist, diplomat, and development specialist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has made a substantial impact on the domains of international development, finance, and economics. She's currently the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

Mpumi Madisa:

Mpumi Madisa is the CEO of the international corporation Bidvest Group Limited, which is headquartered in South Africa. The company currently has 130,000 employees and a market cap of $4.7 billion. 

Samia Suluhu Hassan:

Currently serving as Tanzania’s head of state, Samia has introduced a very proactive business approach to governance, which has catapulted Tanzania into one of the world most attractive investment destinations. Under her leadership, Tanzania has experienced significant economic growth. 

Mo Abudu:

She is a media magnate, businesswoman, and philanthropist from Nigeria. Mo Abudu is most recognized for being the founder and CEO of EbonyLife Media, a media and entertainment firm with some of the biggest film credits on the entire continent. 

Most powerful African women in the world 2023