20 Most Powerful Women In Nigeria (2023)

Over the years, Nigerian women have been rewriting women’s narratives across the globe, setting new standards and forging new paths, for the sole goal of gender equality.

1. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala GCON  ( born 13 June 1954) is a Nigerian-American economist, who has been serving as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization since March 2021. Notably, she is the first woman and African to lead the World Trade Organization as Director-General. Okonjo-Iweala is one of the top influential women in Nigeria.

2. Folorunsho Alakija

Folorunsho Alakija (born 15 July 1951) is a Nigerian businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the group managing director of The Rose of Sharon Group and the executive vice-chairman of Famfa Oil Limited. Forbes ranked Folorunsho Alakija as the richest woman in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $1 billion in 2020.

3. Mo Abudu

Mosunmola Abudu (born 11 September 1964), is a Nigerian media mogul, philanthropist, and former human resources management consultant. She has been described by Forbes as “Africa’s Most Successful Woman”, and rated as one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television” by The Hollywood Reporter.

4. Ibukun Awosika

Ibukunoluwa Abiodun Awosika (born December 24, 1962) is a Nigerian businesswoman, motivational speaker, and author. She was the former Chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria. She was appointed a member of Binance Global Advisory Board in September 2022.

5. Oby Ezekwesili

Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili  (born 28 April 1963) is an economic policy expert, an advocate for transparency, accountability, good governance and human capital development, a humanitarian and an activist. She is a former vice president for the World Bank’s Africa region, co-founder and founding director of Transparency International, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement and has served twice as Federal Minister in Nigeria.

6. Amina Jane Mohammed

Amina Jane Mohammed GCON (born 27 June 1961) is a British Nigerian diplomat and politician who is serving as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, she was the Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016 and was a player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process. She is also Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.

7. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as “the most prominent” of a “procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors” of Nigerian fiction who are attracting a wider audience, particularly in her second home, the United States.

8. Abike Dabiri

Abike Kafayat Oluwatoyin Dabiri-Erewa OON (born 10 October 1962 ) is a Nigerian politician and former member of the Nigeria Federal House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Constituency in Lagos State. She was the Chairman of the House Committee on Media & Publicity.

9. Aisha Buhari

Aisha Halilu Buhari (born 17 February 1971) is a Nigerian beauty therapist who served as the first lady of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, as the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari.

10. Oluremi Tinubu

Oluremi Tinubu CON OON (born 21 September 1960) is a Nigerian politician and current first lady of Nigeria since 2023, as the wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. She was the first lady of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 when her husband was governor. She was the senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District at the Nigerian National Assembly from 2011 to 2023. She is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) political party.

11. Uche Pedro

Uche Pedro (born 26 July 1984) is a Nigerian entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of BellaNaija, a media tech brand known for entertainment and lifestyle content. Under her leadership, BellaNaija’s social footprint has grown through its collective brands – BellaNaija.com, BellaNaija Weddings and BellaNaija Style – to be the largest on the African continent with more than 200 million impressions each month.

12. Tara Fela-Durotoye

Tara Fela-Durotoye (born 6 March 1977) is a Nigerian beauty entrepreneur and lawyer. A pioneer in the bridal makeup profession in Nigeria, she launched the first bridal directory in 1999, set up international standard makeup studios and established the first makeup school in Nigeria. She is the founder and CEO of House of Tara International and creator of the Tara Orekelewa Beauty range, Inspired Perfume and the H.I.P Beauty range.

13. Tiwa Savage

Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress who has been called the Queen of Afrobeats. Savage sings in English and Yoruba; her music is a blend of Afrobeats, R&B, Afropop, pop and hip-hop. Savage’s contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned her several achievements.

14. Aisha Yesufu

Aisha Somtochukwu Yesufu (born 12 December 1973), is a Nigerian activist and businesswoman. She co-founded the #BringBackOurGirls movement, which brought attention to the abduction of over 200 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria on the 14th of April, 2014, by the terrorist group Boko Haram. She has also been prominently involved in the #End SARS movement against police brutality in Nigeria.

15. Linda Ikeji

Linda Ifeoma Ikeji (born 19 September 1980) is a Nigerian blogger, writer, entrepreneur and former model. She is known for her blog and controversial publications online.

16. Regina Daniels

Regina Daniels (born October 10, 2000) is a Nigerian actress and a film producer. She is also a businesswoman and entrepreneur.

17. Funke Akindele

Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele (born 24 August 1977) popularly known as Jenifa, is a Nigerian filmmaker, actress, director, producer and politician. Akindele starred in the sitcom I Need to Know from 1998 to 2002, and in 2009, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. for her role in the movie  “Jenifa”, which brought her to fame. She is the second director to gross over a billion naira at the Nigeria box office.

18. Folu Adeboye

Foluke Adenike Adeboye (née Adeyokunnu; born 13 July 1948) also known as Mummy G.O. is a pastor, televangelist, conference speaker, author and wife of Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

19. Kemi Adetiba

Kemi Adetiba  (born 8 January 1980) is a Nigerian filmmaker, television director and music video director, whose works have appeared on Channel O, MTV Base, Sound City TV, BET and Netflix.

20. Tobi Amusan

Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan OON  (born 23 April 1997) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specialises in the 100-metre hurdles and also competes as a sprinter. She is the current World, Commonwealth and African champion in the 100 m hurdles, as well as the meet record holder in those three competitions. Amusan became the first ever Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event when she won the 2022 World Championships 100 m hurdles gold medal, setting the current world record of 12.12 seconds (+0.9m/s) in the semi-final, followed up by 12.06 seconds (+2.5m/s) in the final.

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