Arunma Oteh wins 2025 Forbes Women Africa Change Maker of the Decade Award

Renowned financial leader and trailblazer, Arunma Oteh was crowned the 2025 Forbes Women Africa Change Maker of the Decade, honouring her extraordinary impact across Africa and the global stage at the prestigious awards held in South Africa.

Foerbes Woman Africa and Forces said it celebrated and honoured the continent’s most remarkable achievers and inspiring leaders.

With a career that speaks of relentless innovation and bold reforms, Oteh has championed economic transformation from the heart of #Nigeria to the halls of Oxford.

As the current chairperson of the 124-year-old Royal African Society and Executive In Residence at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, her influence continues to shape the future of finance, policy and leadership.

From her pivotal role as World Bank vice-president and treasurer to her tenure as director general of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission, Oteh has proven that African women are not just participating in global finance—they’re leading it.

Forbes described her as “a force of visionary change whose work over the past decade has empowered economies and elevated African voices in global corridors of power.”

In her remarks, Oteh dedicated the award to “every African woman transforming communities with courage and integrity,” reinforcing that Africa’s time is now, and women are at the helm.

To conclude a day filled with powerful speeches, insightful panel discussions, and thought-provoking presentations at the Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit in Pretoria, the red carpet was rolled out, welcoming guests who arrived in high fashion and power dressing, perfectly embodying the event’s theme.

Forces Africa executive director Sid Wahi said in his opening address: “A decade ago, the Leading Women Summit started as a bold statement; that African women wereand always have been central to driving innovation, entrepreneurship and social impact. Today, we stand on the shoulders of that visionary inception and the many trailblazers who came before us.

“We see proof of progress everywhere: from female chief executive offciers and entrepreneurs scaling up globally, to women running governments and reshaping industries on their own terms. Yet, we are not complacent. The global gender gap remains, and as tectonic technological shifts rewrite the future of work, Africa’s women must not simply be included—they must lead.”

Nigeria Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy  Hannatu Musawa congratulated Nigerian women recognised at the 2025 Forbes Women Africa Awards in South Africa, including World Trade Organisation director general Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award; singer Tiwa Savage, honoured as a Media Icon; and economist Arunma Oteh, named Forbes Woman Africa Changemaker of the Decade.

“We celebrate these remarkable women, Okonjo-Iweala, a global icon; Oteh, an accomplished economist and Tiwa Savage, a music legend, who continue to inspire generations. Their achievements reflect the excellence of African women,” he stated.

Oteh joined the World Bank as treasurer on September 30 2015. As treasurer, she led a team that managed a USD 200 billion debt portfolio, assets totaling USD 200 billion for 65 internal and external clients including the World Bank Group, central banks, sovereign wealth funds and other official institutions. 

She and her team also maintained the World Bank’s global reputation as a prudent and innovative borrower in over 50 currencies by executing transactions and carefully coordinating credit rating and capital market relationships for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). 

Prior to joining the bank, she served as Securities and Exchange Commission (Sec) Nigeria director general from 2010 to 2015. 

During this period, she rebuilt the Nigerian capital markets after the global financial crisis and served on Nigeria’s Economic Management team.

Prior to joining Sec Nigeria, she worked at the Africa Development Bank for 17 years, including as Group Vice President, Corporate Services (2006 to 2009) and as Group Treasurer (2001 to 2006).

She started her career at Centre Point Investments Limited, Nigeria in 1985.

She has served on several Boards during her 33 year career, notably, the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (2010 to 2015), which regulates 95 percent of the World’s securities markets and the pioneer board of the International Financing Facility for Immunisation (2006 to 2011). 

She has also previously served on the World Economic Forum Agenda Council on Institutional Governance, and the Africa Advisory Council for World Women’s Banking.

She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a First Class Honours Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

In 2011, in recognition of her contribution to economic development and to transforming the Nigerian capital markets, she was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) National Honour.

She was also named the Africa Investor Capital Market Personality of the Year in 2014 and received the 2016 New African Woman Award in Finance and Banking.

She was also named the 2018 Ai Global Institutional Investment Personality of the Year.

Oteh graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1984 with a first-class honours degree in Computer Science.

She has received several awards, notably Nigeria’s Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2011, Power List’s 2020 top 100 people in the U.K. of African heritage and Forbes Africa’s 50 most influential African women in March 2020.

She is the co-editor of the book African Voices African Visions, chairperson of the 120-year-old Royal African Society and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prince’s Trust International, among other important charitable causes.—Worldbank.org/instagram.com/novuspressbulletin.co.za/