Aliko Dangote Leads Forbes List of 18 Richest Billionaires in Africa For 2021
Nigerian business tycoon Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa, leading the latest Forbes’ Africa Billionaires List for 2021 with a net worth of $12.1 billion.
The 63-year-old, who is currently embroiled in a weird sex scandal is maintaining the richest man in Africa, and the richest black man on earth title for the tenth year in a row, according to the report released by Forbes on Friday.
Despite the effects of Covid-19, Dangote saw his net-worth rise by $2 billion compared to last year thanks to a roughly 30% rise in the share price of Dangote Cement, by far his most valuable asset.
The second richest is Nassef Sawiris of Egypt, whose largest asset is a nearly 6% stake in sportswear maker Adidas.
At number three: Nicky Oppenheimer of South Africa, who inherited a stake in diamond firm DeBeers and ran the company until 2012, when he sold his family’s 40% stake in DeBeers to mining giant AngloAmerican for $5.1 billion.
The biggest gainer on the list is Nigerian cement tycoon, Abdulsamad Rabiu, who saw his net worth rise by a staggering 77% and is now worth $5.5 billion from $3.2 billion net-worth in 2020.
All 18 individuals on the list are men. The only two women billionaires from Africa from last year have both fallen off the list. Nigeria’s Folorunsho Alakija saw her net-worth drop below $1 billion due to lower oil prices.
Isabel dos Santos, who since 2013 has been the richest woman in Africa, was knocked from her perch by a series of court decisions freezing her assets in both Angola and Portugal. She has been facing multiple corruption charges since her father left office as Angola’s president in 2017.
The 18 billionaires from Africa hail from seven different countries. South Africa and Egypt each have five billionaires, followed by Nigeria with three and Morocco with two. Altogether they are worth $73.8 billion.
See below for the full list of the richest people in Africa, their net worth, age, and source of wealth:
1. Aliko Dangote – $12.1 B – 63 [cement, sugar]
2. Nassef Sawiris – $8.5 B – 60 [construction, investments]
3. Nicky Oppenheimer – $8 B – 75 [diamonds]
4. Johann Rupert – $7.2 B – 70 – [luxury goods]
5. Mike Adenuga – $6.3 B – 67 [telecom, oil]
6. Abdulsamad Rabiu – $5.5 B – 60 [cement, sugar]
7. Issad Rebrab – $4.8 B – 77 [food]
8. Naguib Sawiris – $3.2 B – 66 [telecom]
9. Patrice Motsepe – $3 B – 58 [mining]
10. Koos Bekker – $2.8 B – 68 [media, investments]
11. Mohamed Mansour – $2.5 B – 73 [diversified]
12. Aziz Akhannouch – $2 B – 60 [petroleum, diversified]
13. Mohammed Dewji – $1.6 B – 45 [diversified]
14. Youssef Mansour – $1.5 B – 75 [diversified]
15. Othman Benjelloun – $1.3 B – 88 [banking, insurance]
16. Michiel Le Roux – $1.2 B – 71 [banking]
