How much would it cost to be on the Top Billionaires List for Africa? GHC1 billion (Ghana Cedis), N1 billion (Naira) or R1 billion (Rand)? It is that time of the year, the American business magazine; Forbes.com has published its annual list of the richest people on planet Earth.
According to the 2011 Forbes Billionaire List, Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote with a net worth of $13.8 billion is the richest Black person in the world. The other African billionaires on the 2011 list are South African gold magnate Patrice Motsepe with $3.3 billion. Forbes magazine list of billionaire also stated that South Africa has the most billionaires in the sub-Saharan region.
Below; I profile the first 3 billionaires of the top 10 billionaires from Africa and their net worth as of March, 2011:
Aliko Dangote – Net Worth $13.8 Billionaire (As of March, 2011)
Aliko_Dangote (c) Wikipedia.org
The Nigerian businessman’s fortune surged 557% in the past year, making him the world’s biggest gainer in percentage terms and Africa’s richest individual for the first time. The catalyst was listing Dangote Cement, which integrated his investments across Africa with his previously public Benue Cement; it now accounts for a quarter of the Nigeria Stock Exchange’s total market cap. Already the continent’s biggest cement maker, he has plants under construction in Zambia, Tanzania, Congo and Ethiopa and is building cement terminals in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Liberia, among other places. Dangote, who recently bought himself a $45 million Bombardier aircraft for his birthday, has been shuttling back and forth to London for months, in anticipation of a public offering there later this year. Dangote began his career as a commodities trader; built his Dangote Group into conglomerate with interests in sugar, flour milling, salt processing, cement manufacturing, textiles, real estate, and oil and gas.
Nicky Oppenheimer – Net Worth $7 billion (As of March, 2011)
Nicky_Oppenheimer
Diamonds are apparently forever for the Oppenheimer family. Despite rumors to the contrary, Nicky Oppenheimer is not looking to sell his family’s 40% stake in DeBeers, the world’s largest diamond producer which the family took private a decade ago The diamond producer has returned to profitability, helping boost his fortune to $7 billion, from $5 billion. Did sell a nearly 8% stake in Anglo American, the mining giant founded in 1917 by his grandfather Ernest; now has 2%. Passionate conservationist, owns Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, largest private game reserve in South Africa.
Nassef Sawiris – Net Worth $5.6 B (As of March 2011)
Nassef Sawiris
Youngest son of Orascom founder and billionaire Onsi Sawiris. Took over leadership of empire’s flagship construction and fertilizer division in 1998. In 2007, sold cement business in Algeria to French construction giant Lafarge. Owns 13.9% stake in Lafarge, and sits on board . Also largest shareholder in cement producer Texas Industries. Had berated management’s poor performance, but recently reached agreement to boost stake to no more than 20%. Shares of Orascom on London exchange plunged by more than one-third after uprising in Egypt.
The infographic below is a compilation of the top 10 wealthiest people in Africa.
