Two Africans Makes 2019 Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women List

Africa has two slots on the recently released Forbes list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. This is an increase of one from the last two years.

The two women are linked by politics and diplomacy. They are Ethiopian president Sahle-Work Zewde, who was the only African in the 2018 list. She is joined by Deputy United Nations secretary-general Amina Mohammed of Nigeria.

Back in 2017, the only African listed was Africa’s richest woman and daughter of former Angolan president Isabel dos Santos.

In 2016, Africa had three slots, two presidential and one in commerce. Then Liberia president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Mauritius president at the time, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim were listed. Nigeria’s business mogul Folorunsho Alakija was the third African.

“In 2019, women around the globe took action, claiming leadership positions in government, business, philanthropy and media. These trailblazers are not to be messed with,” Forbes wrote about this year’s candidates.

What Forbes wrote about Sahle-Work Zewde
In October 2018, Sahle-Work Zewde became Ethiopia’s first woman president and the only serving female head of state in Africa.
A seasoned diplomat and veteran of the United Nations, Zewde was appointed with a unanimous vote by parliament.
In her first address to parliament, Zewde promised to be a voice for women and stressed the importance of unity.

The appointment joins a series of unprecedented shifts as part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s reforms focused on easing government control.
Traditionally a ceremonial role, Zewde’s appointment is a tremendously symbolic move for the conservative country, opening the door for gender parity.
What Forbes wrote about Amina Mohammed
Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

She was previously a special adviser to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and was instrumental in setting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
British-Nigerian by birth, Mohammed served as Nigeria’s environmental minister in 2016, guiding the country’s efforts on fighting climate change.

She worked in three successive administrations in Nigeria, coordinating programs worth $1 billion annually for development goal-related interventions.
Top 10 and other notable candidates
1 – Angela Merkel
2 – Christine Lagarde
3 – Nancy Pelosi
4 – Ursula von der Leyen
5 – Mary Barra
6 – Melinda Gates
7 – Abigail Johnson
8 – Ana Patricia Botin
9 – Ginni Rometty
10 – Marillyn Hewson
20 – Oprah Winfrey
38 – Jacinda Ardern
40 – Queen Elizabeth
42 – Ivanka Trump
61 – Rihanna
66 – Beyonce
81 – Serena Williams
100 – Greta Thunberg

Full list
Rank Name                    Country/Territory
#1 Angela Merkel  -   Germany
#2 Christine Lagarde - France
#3 Nancy Pelosi    -   United States
#4 Ursula von der Leyen - Belgium
#5 Mary Barra    -   United States
#6 Melinda Gates -      United States
#7 Abigail Johnson   -    United States
#8 Ana Patricia Botín -  Spain
#9 Ginni Rometty     -  United States
#10 Marillyn Hewson - United States
#11 Gail Boudreaux  -       United States
#12 Susan Wojcicki   -      United States
#13 Isabelle Kocher   -      France
#14 Safra Catz    -     United States
#15 Kristalina Georgieva - Bulgaria
#16 Julie Sweet - United States
#17 Emma Walmsley - United Kingdom
#18 Sheryl Sandberg - United States
#19 Ruth Porat           -    United States
#20 Oprah Winfrey      -       United States
#21 Judith McKenna - United States
#22 Jessica Tan - China
#23 Ho Ching - Singapore
#24 Phebe Novakovic - United States
#25 Shari Redstone - United States
#26 Amy Hood - United States
#27 Stacey Cunningham - United States
#28 Jessica Uhl -
#29 Sheikh Hasina Wajed - Bangladesh
#30 Adena Friedman - United States
        #31 Mary Callahan Erdoes - United States
#32 Jane Fraser -
#33 Laurene Powell Jobs - United States
#34 Nirmala Sitharaman -
#35 Marianne Lake - United Kingdom
#36 Gina Rinehart - Australia
#37 Kathy Warden -
#38 Jacinda Ardern - New Zealand
#39 Anne Finucane - United States
#40 Queen Elizabeth II - United Kingdom
#41 Tsai Ing-wen - Taiwan
#42 Ivanka Trump - United States
#43 Rosalind Brewer - United States
#44 Mingzhu Dong - China
#45 Erna Solberg - Norway
#46 Dana Walden - United States
#47 Vicki Hollub -
#48 Jennifer Salke -
#49 Jennifer Morgan - United States
#50 Nicola Sturgeon - United Kingdom
#51 Donna Langley - United Kingdom
#52 Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao - Vietnam
#53 Elvira Nabiullina - Russia
#54 Roshni Nadar Malhotra - India
#55 Gwynne Shotwell - United States
#56 Tricia Griffith - United States
#57 Maggie Wei Wu - China
#58 Feng Ying Wang - China
#59 Lynn Good - United States
#60 Paula Santilli -
#61 Rihanna - Barbados
#62 Melanie Kreis - Germany
#63 Hooi Ling Tan -
#64 Bonnie Hammer - United States
#65 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw - India
#66 Beyoncé Knowles - United States
#67 Zhou Qunfei - Hong Kong
#68 Sophie Wilmes -
#69 Jane Jie Sun - China
#70 Katharine Viner - United Kingdom
#71 Taylor Swift - United States
#72 Judy Faulkner - United States
#73 Güler Sabanci - Turkey
#74 Kathleen Kennedy - United States
#75 Mette Frederiksen -
#76 Sri Mulyani Indrawati - Indonesia
#77 Andrea Marques de Almeida -
#78 Solina Chau - Hong Kong
#79 Ava DuVernay - United Arab Emirates
#80 Zuzana Caputova -
#81 Serena Williams - United States
#82 Mary Meeker - United States
#83 Lam Wai Ying - Hong Kong
#84 Raja Easa Al Gurg - United Arab Emirates
#85 Eliza Manningham-Buller - United Kingdom
#86 Jenny Lee - Singapore
#87 Lee Boo-jin - South Korea
#88 Ana Brnabic - Serbia
#89 Meg Whitman - United States
#90 Reese Witherspoon - United States
#91 Anne Wojcicki - United States
#92 Aileen Lee - United States
#93 Sahle-Work Zewde - Ethiopia
#94 Dominique Senequier - France
#95 Kirsten Green - United States
#96 Renuka Jagtiani -
#97 Rania Nashar - Saudi Arabia
#98 Amina Mohammed -
#99 Margarita Louis-Dreyfus - Switzerland
#100 Greta Thunberg

December 16, 2019