Africa's richest: 10 African billionaires and the value of their powerful financial assets
It might be a new year but a lot of names on Africa's richest list remains the same. In 2020, Nigeria's Aliko Dangote tops the list for the ninth consecutive year despite a slight drop in his net worth.
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Only three South Africans made the list of Africa's top richest in 2020 and YEN.com.gh took a look at all the billionaires who ranked from one to 10.
1. Aliko Dangote
Topping the list for the ninth year, Nigeria's Dangote comes in at number one with a whopping $10.1 billion - which is an estimated R152.38 billion.
Dangote's net worth dropped from $10.3 billion a year ago but he still remains the richest man in Africa.
According to Forbes Africa, the origin of Dangote's wealth stems from cement and the sugar industry.
The 62-year-old if the founder and CEO of Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer.
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2. Nassef Sawiris
Coming in at number two is Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris. The billionaire, who made his money in the construction and chemical sectors, is worth a staggering $8 billion (R120 billion).
The 58-year-old is part of a wealthy family, with his brother, Naguib, also being a billionaire.
3. Mike Adenuga
Another Nigerian making the list at number three is Mike Adenuga. The 66-year-old, who is the country's second richest man after Dangote, is worth $7.7 billion - which is an estimated R116 billion.
He is the founder of Globacom, Nigeria's third largest operator which boasts with 43 million subscribers.
Adenuga also dabbled in the oil sector and founded Conoil Producing. The company operates six oil blocks in the Niger Delta.
4. Nicky Oppenheimer
The first South African to make the list is Nicky Oppenheimer. He made his fortune from the diamond business. As the grandson of the Anglo American founder Ernest Oppenheimer who was the first chairman of De Beers, he has consistently ranked as one of the billionaires in South Africa and the world for years on Forbes Magazine.
The 74-year-old diamond mogul is said to be worth $7.7 billion (R116 billion).
5. Johann Rupert
Johann Rupert is the second richest man in South Africa and the fifth richest person in Africa. According to Forbes Africa, Rupert is worth $6.5 billion - which is an estimated R98 billion.
Rupert serves as the chairman of Rich Goods company which is located in Switzerland. He also serves in the same capacity in a South African company known as Remgro.
6. Issad Rebrab
Algeria's Issad Rebrab, 76, the founder and CEO of Cevital, has a reported net worth of $4.4 billion - R66.3 billion.
Cevital is Algeria’s biggest privately-held company and owns one of the largest sugar refineries in the world.
7.Mohamed Mansour
Mohamed Mansour is a jack of all trades. The 71-year-old Egyptian made his $3.3 billion (R49.7 billion) fortune through various business ventures.
He oversees the family conglomerate Mansour Group which was founded by his father Loutfy in 1952.
Mansour established General Motors dealerships in Egypt in 1975, later becoming one of GM’s biggest distributors worldwide.
The Mansour Group also has exclusive distribution rights for Caterpillar equipment in Egypt and seven other African countries, Forbes Africa reported.
Mansour also got into politics, serving as Egypt’s Minister of Transportation from 2006 to 2009.
8.Abdulsamad Rabiu
Nigerians are dominating the Africa's richest top 10 list. Abdulsamad Rabiu is the 8th richest person in Africa and the third richest in Nigeria.
Like Dangote, the 59-year-old Rabiu made his $3.1 billion (R46.7) fortune in the cement and sugar industry.
9.Naguib Sawiris
Egypt's Naguib Sawiris comes in at number nine with a net worth of $3 billion - which is an estimated R45.2 billion.
Naguib is the brother of Nassef Sawiris - the billionaire who is the second richest person in Africa. The origin of Naguib's fortune is the telecommunications industry.
In 2011, the 65-year-ol sold Orascom Telecom to Russian telecom firm VimpelCom in a multibillion-dollar deal.
10.Patrice Motsepe
The final billionaire on our list is South Africa's Patrice Motsepe. The 57-year-old mining magnate is worth a staggering $2.6 billion - which is about R39.2 billion.
Besides entrepreneurship, he is a famed philanthropist and lawyer with a deep founded interest in educating, helping, and supporting the community through Patrice Motsepe Foundation. The businessman remains one of the wealthiest South Africans who has, through his hard work, accumulated a fortune.
In other stories, YEN.com.gh previously reported that without proper background checks, Ghanaian comic actor Funny Face and Togolese footballing star Emmanuel Adebayor could easily be mistaken as family members considering the bond of friendship between the two.
One could dare say that Funny Face is more of a brother to Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor than the biological brother of the Togolese footballer. At least, when he’s here in Ghana.
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Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
