Nigerian Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala was on Friday named among the most powerful women in the world by
the influential American publication Forbes.
She is one of the three women picked
from Africa, the remaining two being President Joyce Banda of Malawi and
President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf of Liberia.
Dr.Okonjo-Iweala is number 81 on the list, just a step ahead of President Johnson- Sirleaf and 10 points behind President Banda. The wife of the American president, Michelle Obama is ranked only seventh.
Michelle , who is arguably more popular than her President husband, creeps up from eighth place last year but is still outdone by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ranks second and Melinda Gates who commands fourth position. Republican politicians Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann drop off the list completely after failed bids to the White House.
The right-wing women came in at 22nd and 34th respectively last year. Mrs. Obama's mission to end childhood obesity and commitment to military families teamed with her stylish frocks helped secure her top 10 place, Forbes said, adding that she was being used as a 'tool' in President Barack Obama's campaign to cling to power. “She's made more public appearances this year than usual -- not surprisingly the campaign is using the Mrs as a tool to widen the gender gap over Romney -- appearing as a judge on an episode of Bravo's Top Chef, chatting with the ladies of The View and joking with funny guys Jimmy Fallon and Jon Stewart,'’the magazine says.
Clinton, 64, was beaten only by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who tops the esteemed ranking for the second year running. She was cited as the “lead player in the eurozone economic crisis” and praised for embracing social media by answering citizens’ questions on YouTube.
The U.S. Secretary of State, who has traveled to 42 countries this year alone, was praised for navigating treacherous territory when WikiLeaks released sensitive diplomatic cables in November and for urging Syrian President Bashar Assad to hand over power and leave his country.
Forbes also said her actions to warn North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to chart a different course than his militant father helped her retain her high ranking on the most powerful women list.
The women on the list were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence. Moira Forbes, president and publisher of ForbesWoman, said: “These power women exert influence in very different ways and to very different ends, and all with very different impacts on the global community.”
The average age of the 100 power brokers from 28 countries is 55. They have a combined 90 million Twitter followers. Clinton and Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and wife of Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates, were joined in the top five by Jill Abramson, the first woman executive editor of The New York Times.
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