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Just 6 Africans Made The List Of 500 Richest Billionaires

Just 6 Africans Made The List Of 500 Richest Billionaires

Only six of the 500 richest billionaires in the world are African, with Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote maintaining his position as Africa’s richest person.

All six of the Africans in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index are men. Five of the six come from just two African countries — South Africa and Egypt. Their combined wealth amounts to $48.42 billion.

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By comparison, China, with a population of around 110 million more than Africa (1.309 billion), has 44 billionaires in the top 500.

Here are the six Africans that made the list of 500 richest billionaires.

Aliko Dangote

Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote maintains his position as the richest person in Africa thanks to his $17 billion net worth. His net worth makes him the 64th richest person on the planet, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His immense wealth is put into perspective when considering that around half of Nigeria’s 190.9 million people survive on less than $1.90 a day. Dangote’s business interests include agricultural commodities, real estate, oil and gas, and cement.

Richest billionaires
Nigerian Aliko Dangote remains Africa’s richest billionaire. Ap Photo/Sunday Alamba,

Nicky Oppenheimer

The heir to the Oppenheimer family fortune is South Africa’s richest person, with a net worth of $7.05 billion. That is less than half of Dangote’s net worth. In 2012 he sold his 40 percent stake in diamond firm DeBeers to mining group Anglo American for $5.1 billion in cash in 2012, according to Forbes. The 73-year-old philanthropist owns around 720 square miles of conservation land across South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Johann Rupert

With a net worth of $6.84 billion, Johann Rupert is not far from his compatriot Oppenheimer’s fortune. The 68-year-old South African is the eldest son of business tycoon Anton Rupert. He owns the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont, as well as of the South Africa-based firm Remgro, both of which are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, according to FinancialMail.

richest billionaires
Rabbi Arthur Schneier, president and founder of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, presents the 2018 Appeal of Conscience Award to Johann Peter Rupert, chairman of Richemont, during the 2018 Appeal of Conscience Gala in New York. Image – Mark Von Holden – AP for Appeal of Conscience Foundation

Nassef Sawiris

At 58, Nassef Sawiris is the richest person in Egypt, thanks to his $6.76 billion fortune. His wealth is in part due to his 30 percent ownership of OCI, a Dutch construction contractor, as well as 27 percent of Dubai-based Orascom Construction, an infrastructure and engineering group, Pulse reports.

richest billionaires
Nassef Sawiris is the richest person in Egypt, alongside his brother. Photo – AP – Nati Harnik

Naguib Sawiris

Egyptian investor and politician Naguib Sawiris is Nassef Sawaris’s brother. He turned his focus to politics in 2011, but before that he was executive chairman of telecommunications giant Wind Telecom. He is the chairman of Weather Investments Company and Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding. His net worth currently sits at $5.08 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Richest billionaires
Egyptian billionaire businessman Naguib Sawiris. Photo – AP – Hassan Ammar

Natie Kirsh

South African-born Swazi citizen Natie Kirsh rounds out the list of six Africans in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $6.09 billion. Kirsh is the oldest man on this list, at age 87, and his real estate empire stretches across Australia, South Africa, Swaziland and the U.K., DailyAdvent reports.