KEY POINTS
- Dangote tops Forbes list.
- Dangote’s wealth triples Rabiu’s fortune.
- Nigerian billionaires dominate key economic sectors.
With a net worth of $24.4 billion, Aliko Dangote is at the top of Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List and 88th in the globe.
The Nigerian businessman is well ahead of other billionaires in Africa, which strengthens his status as a symbol of Nigeria’s business and industrial power.
With $24.4 billion, Dangote is at the top of the Forbes list
Abdulsamad Rabiu is worth $7.2 billion (#516), which is less than a third of Dangote’s net worth. It is about four times more than Mike Adenuga’s $6.3 billion (#592) and Femi Otedola’s $1.5 billion (#2424).
For 14 years in a row, this billionaire has been the richest man in Africa. His empire includes cement, sugar, and a refinery that opened in 2023.
Nigerian billionaires are in charge of important industries
Besides Dangote, Rabiu has strong interests in sugar and cement, Adenuga in telecoms and oil, and Otedola, who recently made it back onto Forbes’ list, has gained ground in energy and utilities. Their fortunes as a group show how Nigeria’s wealth is spread out across important economic sectors.
Forbes says Dangote is the richest person in the world, ahead of South Africa
Johann Rupert of South Africa is the second-richest individual in Africa, with a net worth of $13.2 billion. Nicky Oppenheimer is third, with a net worth of $10.4 billion. Other rich South Africans are Koos Bekker ($3.8 billion), Patrice Motsepe ($3.4 billion), Michiel le Roux ($2.7 billion), Jannie Mouton ($1.9 billion), and Christoffel Wiese ($1.7 billion).
Nassef Sawiris, who is worth $8.8 billion, is the richest person in Egypt. Naguib Sawiris is worth $5 billion, and the Mansour brothers, who are worth more than $6 billion, are also very rich. Nathan Kirsh from Eswatini is worth $8 billion, which is more than the three biggest marketplaces in Africa.
