There are 24 African billionaires this year, down from 28 last year. Tanzanian businessman and former politician Rostam Azizi, pharmaceuticals tycoon Stephan Saad and Ugandan real estate mogul Sudhir Ruparelia narrowly missed the cut this year. Moroccan banker Miloud Chaabi and Egyptian hotel tycoon Samih Sawiris also missed out.
South African billionaire and philanthropist Patrice Motsepe
Mohammed Dewji of Tanzania is still the youngest billionaire in Africa with a fortune FORBES estimates at $1.09 billion. Dewji, 40, debuted on the FORBES list of the World’s Billionaires last year with a $1.3 billion fortune at the time. He has lost $200 million on the back of a weaker Tanzanian shilling. Dewji is the CEO of METL Group, a Tanzanian conglomerate with interests in textiles, edible oils and transportation.
The biggest gainer among the African billionaires is Mike Adenuga, a Nigerian businessman who is now worth $10 billion, up from $4 billion a year ago. The significant jump in Adenuga’s fortune is attributable to new information on the value of his telecom, oil and real estate holdings.
Angolan investor Isabel dos Santos and oil tycoon Folorunsho Alakija of Nigeria still remain the only two female billionaires on the continent.
Meet the 23 richest people in Africa:
1. Aliko Dangote, Nigerian
Net Worth: $14.4 billion
Source Of Wealth: Cement, flour, sugar, salt
2. Mike Adenuga, Nigerian
Net Worth: $10 billion
Source Of Wealth: Telecom, Oil, Real Estate
3. Nicky Oppenheimer, South African
Net Worth: $6.6 billion
Source Of Wealth: Diamonds
4. Christoffel Wiese, South African
Net Worth: $6.2 billion
Source Of Wealth: Retailing
5. Johann Rupert, South African
Net Worth: $5.3 billion
Source Of Wealth: Luxury Goods
6. Nassef Sawiris, Egyptian
Net Worth: $4.1 billion
Source Of Wealth: Construction, Chemicals
7. Nathan Kirsch, Swazi
Net Worth: $3.7 billion
Source Of Wealth: Retail
8. Isabel dos Santos, Angolan
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Source Of Wealth: Investments
9. Issad Rebrab, Algerian
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Food
10. Naguib Sawiris, Egyptian
Net Worth: $3 billion
Source Of Wealth: Telecom
11. Mohammed Mansour, Egyptian
Net Worth: $2.5 billion
Source Of Wealth: Diversified
12. Othman Benjelloun, Moroccan
Net Worth: $1.9 billion
Source Of Wealth: Banking, Insurance
13. Mohamed Al Fayed, Egyptian
Net Worth: $1.9 billion
Source Of Wealth: Retailing
14. Femi Otedola, Nigerian
Net Worth: $1.85 billion
15. Youssef Mansour, Egyptian
Net Worth: $1.73 billion
Source Of Wealth: Diversified
16. Folorunsho Alakija, Nigerian
Net Worth: $1.55 billion
Source Of Wealth: Oil
17. Allan Gray, South African
Net Worth: $1.49 billion
Source Of Wealth: Money Management
18. Koos Bekker, South African
Net Worth: $1.47 billion
Source Of Wealth: Media, Investments
19. Yasseen Mansour, Egyptian
Net Worth: $1.39 billion
Source Of Wealth: Diversified
20. Aziz Akhannouch, Moroccan
Net Worth: $1.25 billion
Source Of Wealth: Petroleum, Diversified
21. Patrice Motsepe, South African
Net Worth: $1.15 billion
Source Of Wealth: Mining
22. Abdulsamad Rabiu, Nigerian
Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Source Of Wealth: Diversified
23. Onsi Sawiris, Egyptian
Net Worth: $1.09 billion
Source Of Wealth: Construction, Telecom
24. Mohammed Dewji, Tanzanian
Net Worth: $1.09 billion
Source Of Wealth: Diversified