Okonjo-Iweala, Cardoso, Adesina top list of Nigeria’s 500 leading thought leaders

World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as Nigeria’s leading thought leader in the inaugural 2026 GREY Capital Index.

According to TheCable, the ranking, published by Lagos-based reputation ratings institution Podhium, assessed 500 Nigerians across 25 sectors.

Okonjo-Iweala topped the list with 91.2 points, followed by Central Bank Governor Yemi Cardoso with 83.0 points and former African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina with 81.0 points.

Businessmen Aliko Dangote and Tony Elumelu ranked fourth and fifth, scoring 78.6 and 77.4 points, respectively.

Other top-ranked personalities included Amina Mohammed, Jim Ovia, Atedo Peterside and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Podhium said over 3,000 names were screened, with 867 candidates assessed before the final selection.

The institution evaluated leaders based on growth, reputation, expertise and yield.

“Ten Apex Architects in a country of 230 million people is not a talent deficit. It is an infrastructure deficit,” Podhium’s managing director, Obiora Tabansi Onyeaso, said.

The index will be published twice yearly from 2027.