Written by Forbes
“Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al-Amoudi is no longer the richest black person in the world. He has been ousted by Nigerian cement tycoon Aliko Dangote, who is worth an estimated $16.1 billion. That’s $2.6 billion richer than Al-Amoudi. American TV mogul Oprah Winfrey and newcomer Isabel dos Santos of Angola are the only black female billionaires on the FORBES billionaires list.” – Forbes
Aliko Dangote Net Worth $16.1 Billion Nigeria Age: 55
#43 Forbes Billionaires
#1 in Nigeria
#1 Africa’s 40 Richest
Nigerian Cement tycoon retains his position as Africa’s richest man for the third year in a row. The past year has been eventful for Dangote. In October, he sold off a controlling stake in his flour milling company to Tiger Brands of South Africa. He pocketed $190 million in cash. In February, his Dangote Sugar Refineries acquired a 95% stake in Nigerian sugar producer Savannah Sugar in a bid to maintain its dominant position in the Nigerian sugar industry. Dangote stepped up his philanthropy in the past year, giving over $100 million to causes ranging from education to health, flood relief, poverty alleviation and the arts. He also acquired a yacht, which he named after his mother, Amiya. Dangote started building his fortune more than three decades ago when he began trading in commodities like cement, flour and sugar with a loan he received from his maternal uncle. He delved into full production of these items in the early 2000s and went on to build the Dangote Group, West Africa’s largest publicly-listed conglomerate, which now owns sugar refineries, salt processing facilities and Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer. A fitness buff, Dangote jogs everyday.
Mohammed Al Amoudi Net Worth $13.5 Billion Ethiopia/Saudi Arabia Age: 68
Son of Saudi father and Ethiopian mother, Mohammed Al Amoudi started investing in Sweden in the 1970s. He made his initial fortune in construction in Saudi Arabia, where he continues to add to his project portfolio with new projects for King Saud University and a new medical city complex for the Ministry of Interior. Al Amoudi is also the biggest individual investor in Ethiopia with a portfolio of interests from hotels and gold mines to agriculture and cement. He is growing rice, corn and other staples on thousands of acres, for the home market as well as for export to Saudi Arabia. His cement operations are making waves in Ethiopia with low-priced offerings.
Mike Adenuga Net Worth $4.7 Billion Nigeria Age: 59
Nigerian billionaire Mike Adenuga built a fortune in mobile telecom and oil production. He founded Globacom, Nigeria’s second largest mobile phone network, in 2006. It has 24 million customers in Nigeria, operates in the Republic of Benin and recently acquired licenses to start businesses in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. His Conoil Producing is one of Nigeria’s largest independent exploration companies, with a production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil per day.
Patrice Motsepe Net Worth $2.9 Billion South Africa Age:51
Mining magnate Patrice Motsepe is South Africa’s first and only black billionaire. His publicly traded mining conglomerate, African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) has interests in platinum, nickel, chrome, iron, manganese, coal, copper and gold.
Oprah Winfrey Net Worth $2.8 Billion United States Age: 59
Oprah Winfrey may not be on the nation’s TV screens daily since her long-running talk show ended in 2011, but she’s stayed in the headlines. America’s only African-American billionaire appears to be reviving the fortunes of her once-faltering cable channel, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).
Isabel dos Santos Net Worth $2 Billion Angola Age:40
Isabel dos Santos, the oldest daughter of Angola’s longtime president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, debuts on the Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires with a fortune estimated at a minimum of $2 billion. She is Angola’s first billionaire and the richest woman in Africa. Her first business, opened in 1997 when she was 24, was a restaurant called Miami Beach in Luanda, the Angolan capital. Though her representatives deny that her holdings have any connection with her father, research in Angola shows that President dos Santos has transferred stakes in several companies to his daughter. Her most valuable asset — worth a conservative $1 billion — is a 25% stake in Unitel, one of Angola’s two mobile phone networks, where Isabel dos Santos is a board member. She also sits on the board of Angola’s Banco BIC, where she also has a 25% stake. In Portugal, she owns nearly 15% of ZON Multimedia, a listed cable TV company, and just under 20% of Banco BPI, one of Portugal’s largest publicly traded banks.
Mohammed Ibrahim Net Worth $1.1 Billion Sudan Age: 66
Mohammed Ibrahim, known as Mo, founded Celtel, a mobile phone company that now serves 23 countries in Africa and the Middle East. He sold it in 2005 for $3.4 billion and pocketed $1.4 billion. He now lives in London and spends his time on philanthropy and investing in Africa. In 2000 before becoming CEO of Celtel, he sold off the company’s former parent company, MSI, for more than $600 million. In 2006 he created the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to improve governance and leadership in Africa.
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