The President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has for the seventh year in a row, been adjudged as the richest man in Africa with a net worth that Forbes pegged at $12.2bn for 2017.
This is an increase of $100 million from his worth when the assessment was done by the influential magazine last year.
“The commodities tycoon is obviously looking beyond cement – his most valuable asset – and has been investing in a fertilizer production company and a large oil refinery,” Forbes said.
Number two on the list is diamond mining heir Nicky Oppenheimer of South Africa, with a net worth of $7.7 billion, up $700 million from last year. Oppenheimer is one of 8 South Africans on the list, making it the African country with the most billionaires.
Dangote was recently the only African selected among Bloomberg’s world 50 best persons in the year 2017.
While the names of notable Nigerians were dropped from the billionaires’ list, Globacom Chairman, Mike Adenuga, with a net worth of $5.8bn, was adjudged the fifth richest man in Africa and Folorunsho Alakija, also a Nigerian, whose estimated $1.6bn fortune is in oil exploration, was adjudged as the 15th richest person on the continent.
Meanwhile, Bill Gates maintained his position as the richest in the world with a net worth of $86bn, while Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos were second and third, respectively with net worth of $75.6bn and $72.8bn.
Africa’s Billionaires:
#1 Aliko Dangote $12.2 B 60 cement, sugar, flour
#2 Nicky Oppenheimer $7.7 B 72 diamonds
#3 Johann Rupert $7.2 B 67 luxury goods
#4 Nassef Sawiris $6.8 B 56 construction, chemicals
#5 Mike Adenuga $5.3 B 64 telecom, oil
#6 Issad Rebrab $4 B 74 food
#6 Naguib Sawiris $4 B 63 telecom
#8 Koos Bekker $2.8 B 65 media, investments
#9 Isabel dos Santos $2.7 B 44 investments
#9 Mohamed Mansour $2.7 B 69 diversified
#11 Patrice Motsepe $2.4 B 55 mining
#12 Aziz Akhannouch $2.2 B 57 petroleum, diversified
#13 Yasseen Mansour $1.9 B 56 diversified
#14 Strive Masiyiwa $1.7 B 56 telecom
#15 Folorunsho Alakija $1.6 B 67 oil
#15 Othman Benjelloun $1.6 B 85 banking, insurance
#17 Mohammed Dewji $1.5 B 42 diversified
#18 Youssef Mansour $1.4 B 72 diversified
#19 Michiel Le Roux $1.2 B 68 banking
#19 Stephen Saad $1.2 B 53 pharmaceuticals
#21 Desmond Sacco $1.1 B 75 mining
#21 Onsi Sawiris $1.1 B 88 construction, telecom
#21 Christoffel Wiese $1.1 B 76 retail
