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The wealthy in Africa, as with other parts of the world, have managed to weather the pandemic just fine.
The continent boasts 18 US dollar billionaires, with an average worth of $4,1 billion, which amounts to a more than 12% increase from a year ago.
Forbes has rounded up the continent’s billionaires and ranked them from richest to, well, not as rich, but still pretty rich.
Leading the pack is Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, who has risen in wealth by $2 billion from last year’s list thanks to a roughly 30% rise in the share price of Dangote Cement.
Nassef Sawiris of Egypt comes in second, with South Africa’s Nicky Oppenheimer coming in third.
Here’s the top 10, with a closer look at the top five.
1. Aliko Dangote – Nigeria
Net worth: $12,5 billion
Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, founded, chairs, and holds an 85% stake in Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer. He also owns stakes in publicly-traded salt and sugar manufacturing companies.
The company produces 45,6 million metric tons of cement annually.
More on his wealth here.
2. Nassef Sawiris – Egypt
Net worth: $8,4 billion
Nassef Sawiris is an investor. His most valuable asset is a nearly 6% stake in sportswear maker Adidas. In December last year, he nabbed a 5% stake in New York-listed firm Madison Square Garden Sports, owner of the NBA Knicks and the NHL Rangers teams.
He also owns OCI, one of the world’s largest nitrogen fertiliser producers, with plants in Texas and Iowa.
More on his wealth here.
3. Nicky Oppenheimer – South Africa
Net worth: $7,9 billion
Heir to his family’s fortune, Oppenheimer sold his stake in diamond firm De Beers to mining group Anglo American for $5,1 billion in cash in 2012, ending 85 years of Oppenheimer’s controlling spot in the world’s diamond trade.
In 2014, he started Fireblade Aviation in Johannesburg, which operates chartered flights with its fleet of three planes and two helicopters.
More on his wealth here.
4. Johann Rupert – South Africa
Net worth: $7,2 billion
Johann Rupert is chairman of Swiss luxury goods firm Compagnie Financiere Richemont, best known for the brands Cartier and Montblanc.
It was formed in 1998 through a spinoff of assets owned by Rembrandt Group Limited (now Remgro Limited), which his father Anton formed in the 1940s.
More on his wealth here.
5. Mike Adenuga – Nigeria
Net worth: $6,3 billion
Adenuga, Nigeria’s second richest man, built his fortune in telecom and oil production. His mobile phone network, Globacom, is the third-largest in Nigeria, with upwards of 55 million subscribers.
Conoil Producing, his oil exploration company, operates six oil blocks in the Niger Delta.
More on his wealth here.
6. Abdulsamad Rabiu – Nigeria
Net worth: $5,2 billion
More on his wealth here.
7. Issad Rebrab – Algeria
Net worth: $4,8 billion
More on his wealth here.
8. Naguib Sawiris – Egypt
Net worth: $3,2 billion
More on his wealth here.
9. Patrice Motsepe – South Africa
Net worth: $3 billion
More on his wealth here.
10. Koos Bekker – South Africa
Net worth: $3 billion
More on his wealth here.
That rounds off the top 10 richest people on the continent.
You can check out the full list if you’re keen to see who else is raking it in.
[source:forbes]
