Dominic-Madori Davis of the Business Insider (USA) writes about the 15 richest people in Africa who have a combined net worth of more than R1.1 trillion. They have made their fortunes by investing in industries like diamonds, oil, and retail. In total, they have a combined total net worth of $73.3 billion, with Aliko Dangote, owner of the largest conglomerate in West Africa, topping the list with a net worth of $13.5 billion. Some other notable highlights on the list include Patrice Motsepe, one of the richest people in South Africa with a net worth of $2.2 billion. He became the first black African to appear on the Forbes list in 2008 after he was deemed a billionaire. There is also Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the former president of Angola, who controversially made her fortune by investing in various Angolan companies throughout her father’s presidency. Working from the bottom of this list is:
15. Youssef Mansour from Egypt, aged 75. He owns a stake in his family’s conglomerate Mansour Group, which is the largest distributor of General Motor vehicles in Egypt. His net worth stands at $1.9 billion.
14. Isabel dos Santos from Angola, aged 47. She is the daughter of the former president of Angola. As Forbes notes, during her father’s presidency, she controversially acquired stakes in various Angolan companies, such as a telecommunications company. The BBC reports that dos Santos has been accused of corruption by Angolan authorities and is currently facing a criminal investigation. She has fled to Europe in the meantime and has denied any alleged corruption. Her net worth stands at $1.7 billion.
13. Yasseen Mansour from Egypt, aged 59. Like his brothers Youssef and Mohamed, Yasseen owns a stake in his family’s company Mansour Group, which is the largest disruptor of General Motor vehicles in Egypt. He is also the chairman of one of the largest real estate developers in Egypt, Palm Hills Developments. His net worth is $2.3 billion.
12. Koos Bekker is from South Africa, aged 67. He is the chairman of Naspers, a media group that operates in over 100 countries. Naspers is one of the world’s largest technology investors, as reported by Forbes. The company also holds an investment in Tencent, a Chinese internet and media company. His net worth stands at $2.5 billion.
11. Patrice Motsepe from South Africa, aged 58. He became the first Black African to be listed as a billionaire in 2008. He is the founder of African Rainbow Minerals, which holds investments in minerals such as platinum, copper, and coal. He also is the founder of the private equity firm African Rainbow Capital. His net worth stands at $2.2 billion.
10. Abdulsamad Rabiu from Nigeria, aged 60. He is the son of Isyaku Rabiu, one of Africa’s most prominent industrialists, Rabiu is the founder of the Nigerian conglomerate BUA Group, best known for producing cement, sugar, and controlling real estate. His net worth stands at $3.1 billion.
9. Mohamed Mansour from Eygpt, aged 72. He is the head of his family’s company, Mansour Group, which is one of the largest companies in Egypt. The company is known for being one of the world’s largest general motors dealers and is also one of the top distributors of caterpillar products. It is also the operator of the largest supermarket chain, Metro Markets, in Egypt. His net worth stands at $3.3 billion.
8. Aziz Akhannouch & Family from Morocco, aged 59. He is the CEO of his family’s company Akwa Group, which holds an interest in various gas and oil companies, as reported by Forbes. He is currently the minister of agriculture and fisheries in Morocco. His net worth stands at $3.5 billion.
7. Naguib Sawiris from Egypt, aged 66. He has stakes in various gold mines throughout the world. He made more than $4 billion when he sold his stake in the telecom company in Vimpelcom in 2011. He is the brother of fellow billionaire, Nassef Sawiris. His net worth stands at $5.34 billion.
6. Nassef Sawiris from Egypt, aged 59. He is the son of billionaire Onsi Sawiris. He is known for being the richest man in Egypt, best known for owning a 30% stake in the fertilizing producer OCI and also owns a 6% stake in Adidas. His net worth stands at $5.6 billion.
5. Nicky Oppenheimer from South Africa, aged 75. He was the heir to De Beers, the world’s largest producer of diamonds. In 2012, he sold his family’s 40% stake in the company for $5.2 billion in cash. His Net worth stands at $6.53 billion.
4. Johann Rupert from South Africa, aged 70. He is the heir and Chairman of Richemont, which is the largest luxury watchmaker in the world. The company is best known for owning Cartieris. His net worth stands at $6.64 billion.
3. Issad Rebrab from Algeria, aged 76. He is the founder of Cevital, which is the largest privately held conglomerate in Algeria. Cevital owns numerous brands, in addition to one of the world’s largest sugar refineries. The company also owns a home appliance company, a steel mill company, and a water purification enterprise. His net worth stands at $7.5 billion. 2. Mike Adenuga from Niberia, aged 67. He is the chairman of Globacom, which is the second-largest telecommunications operator in Africa. He also owns a stake in the oil company Conoil. His net worth stands at $7.7 billion.
1. Aliko Dangote from Nigeria, aged 63. He is the founder of the Dangote Group, which West Africa’s largest conglomerate. The company also owns the largest cement producer in sub-Saharan Africa. Aside from cement, the company also produces products such as sugar, salt, flour, steel, oil, and gas. His net worth stands at $13.5 billion.
Does the above make you feel poor? It ought not to, because this is only money! Christians have a Father who says:
Ps 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
Plus, we enjoy the blessings of our Father:
Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Dear God, thank You our Father that we have every wealth in Jesus and do not have to worry about the riches these men have to worry about daily! Thank you for what I have in Jesus. Amen.