KEY POINTS
- In early 2026, Dangote’s net wealth went up to $30.4 billion.
- The most recent rise was due to advances in cement shares.
- Investors are still interested in how much money the Dangote Group makes.
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, started 2026 with $410 million more in his bank account, bringing his net worth to $30.4 billion and keeping him at the top of the continent’s wealth rankings.
Dangote’s wealth rose in early January, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. He ended 2025 with $30 billion. The rise keeps him as the only African billionaire worth more than $30 billion and the only Black billionaire to have reached that level. This shows that his core companies are still growing.
The gains come as investors keep backing the Dangote Group, which is Africa’s biggest manufacturing company and makes cement, sugar, salt, and electricity. Investors continue to show strong appetite for the group’s listed assets, particularly its cement business, which has powered much of the recent increase in Dangote’s wealth.
Dangote’s net worth goes up because of cement earnings
Dangote Cement Plc, the group’s flagship company, has played a central role in the latest rise in his net worth. On the Nigerian Exchange, shares of the cement company are up 4.37 percent this year, bringing their one-year gain to 32.6 percent.
The surge builds on a strong 2025, when Dangote’s wealth grew from $28.07 billion at the start of the year to $30 billion by the end of the year. Dangote Cement is Africa’s biggest producer, having a combined production and bagging capacity of 52 million tons per year. Dangote owns 87.45 percent of the company.
Strong earnings have helped investors feel more confident. Dangote Cement made a profit of N743.3 billion ($514.5 million) in the first nine months of 2025. This is over three times the N279.1 billion it made in the same time period the year before.
As Dangote’s net worth develops, his assets change
Dangote Cement has concentrated on controlling costs, managing cash, and expanding into new African markets. This has strengthened its balance sheet while also reinvesting for growth. As of September 30, 2025, total assets were N5.74 trillion ($3.94 billion), up from N4.34 trillion a year earlier.
According to Billioniares Africa, retained earnings fell from N2.22 trillion to N1.27 trillion ($870 million) because the company had to put more money into capital over the period. For Dangote, the gains in early 2026 reflect a multi-year rally driven by the group’s operating performance, keeping his net worth well ahead of rivals as markets price in future earnings and expansion plans.
