The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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By: BBC Africa
They have worked hard to get to where they are today. These men are the richest in the world and in Africa.
These men have managed to stay on course despite the difficulties associated with international tensions, rising inflation among continental countries, depreciation of local currencies against major currencies, difficult conditions in financial markets, etc.
African billionaires, since they are the ones we are talking about, have been able to achieve this wealth by taking advantage of the business opportunities available on this continent that has become a gold mine and elsewhere in the world.
We bring to you the 2024 list of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the richest people in the world whose wealth is equal to (10) billion dollars.
First on the list is undoubtedly South African Johann Rupert, who leads the list of the richest people in Africa. He overtook Nigerian cement tycoon Aliko Dangote, who is in second place.
While Rupert’s wealth increased by $1.9 billion this year, the Nigerian fell by $1.7 billion, to $13.4 billion, according to Bloomberg.
1. Johann Rupert, heir to South Africa’s Remgro
With a fortune of $14.3 billion, the South African, Africa’s richest man, inherited his father’s holding company, Remgro, and controls Richemont, one of the world’s largest luxury goods companies, owner of brands such as Montblanc and Cartier. This is also his greatest achievement.
Johann Rupert has developed what he inherited from his father into a multi-billion dollar luxury goods company. He has received several awards for his business activities.
In addition to his properties in Geneva and London, Johann Rupert lives in a mansion in Cape Town. It is also worth noting that he campaigned against white minority rule in South Africa.
2. Aliko Dangoté, a Nigerian industrialist
Despite increasing his wealth by $ 400 million in 2023 , Aliko Dangote, with an estimated wealth of $ 13.4 billion in 2024, has lost his first place and become the second richest person in Africa in 2024. At 66, the Nigerian businessman who founded the Dangote Group, made his fortune in cement and sugar. He opened an oil refinery last year in the Nigerian capital, Lagos.
Dangote Cement is a leading cement producer in Africa, with operations in 10 African countries. The company produces 50 million tonnes of cement annually. In 2023, it opened its Lekki refinery, the largest petrochemical facility in Africa, which is expected to generate annual revenues of $30 billion.
The Dangote Foundation, which is the largest foundation in Sub-Saharan Africa, carries out charitable work across the continent and focuses its work primarily on nutrition, health, education, empowerment and humanitarian aid.
Aliko Dangote finds himself in second place on the list due to the fall of the naira and the economic problems his country is experiencing.
3. Nicky Oppenheimer, another South African entrepreneur
He is one of South Africa’s entrepreneurial success stories. He owns large tracts of land designated as nature reserves in Zimbabwe and Botswana, totaling 187,000 hectares.
Nicky Oppenheimer is a member of the dynasty that founded De Beers, the world’s largest diamond mining and trading company. He is a major shareholder in Anglo American, the group founded by his grandfather, who sold his stake in De Beers for $5.1 billion. Nicky Oppenheimer is worth $11.3 billion.
4. Nassef Sawiris, Egyptian businessman
In addition to his main asset, OCI NV, today one of the leading fertilizer producers, the Egyptian billionaire also has assets in cement company LafargeHolcim, sports brand Adidas, and the Madison Square Garden Sports group.
His fortune is estimated at $9.48 billion.
5. Nathan’s Kirsh
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He is the oldest person in Africa (96 years old), originally from Eswatini where he now contributes to the development of the poorest country in the world through small-scale entrepreneurship.
He made his fortune in the corn business in the early 1960s.
He then created what is now called Brooklyn’s Jetro Cash & Carry 1 in 1976, a warehouse specializing in wholesale sales, for grocery stores and restaurants.
His wealth is estimated at $9.22 billion.
6. Naguib Sawiris, Egypt’s richest businessman
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His wealth is estimated at $7.32 billion . Born in 1954, the son of industrialist Onsi Sawiris, Naguib worked to make Orascom (the telecommunications arm) the world’s number 1 in new technology.
The Egyptian businessman and billionaire also made his fortune in the mining sector, where he founded the first gold mining group, Endeavour Mining, in West Africa.
Naguib Sawiris also played a major role in the 2011 revolution in his country. He is a political activist, an opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood, who sponsored the civil movement that led to the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 in Egypt.
7. Mike Adenuga, Nigerian businessman
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At 72, Nigerian Mike Adenuga, born in Ibadan, is the fifth richest man in Africa. He inherited a family sawmill in the 1970s. A prominent figure in the Nigerian business world, he is nicknamed the “gold digger” and has built an empire that generates billions of dollars in annual sales.
His wealth is estimated at $6.9 billion . His company Conoil operates in the oil industry. He has also been interested in the financial sector with his bank Sterling Bank.
8. Abdulsamad Rabiu, Nigerian agricultural expert
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His wealth is mainly concentrated in the cement, agro-industrial, port equipment and real estate sectors, and his company BUA Group. The 6th richest person in Africa was able to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of almost $500 million.
This enabled him to expand his cement factory located in northern Nigeria, to have a production capacity of 6 million tons per year.
His wealth is $5.9 million.
9. Mohamed Mansour, Egyptian businessman
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Mohamed Mansour served as Egypt’s Minister of Transport under former President Hosni Mubarak from 2006 to 2009.
He is said to have risen from poverty to opulence, or from nothing to becoming the head of the wealthy empire, the Mansour Group, with a personal fortune of $3.2 billion.
His company employs more than 60,000 people and has exclusive distribution rights in Egypt for American groups General Motors, Caterpillar and McDonald’s.
His son Loutfy heads Man Capital, which makes investments for a group of companies. Mohamed has a billionaire brother who is also a shareholder in the family company.
Mohamed Mansour served as Egypt’s Minister of Transport under former President Hosni Mubarak from 2006 to 2009.
10. Koos Bekker, South African businessman
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As chairman of South African media company Naspers. His company operates in 130 countries and is listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. In 2000, he invested $32 million in the Chinese market, in messaging services, especially Tencent, which was just starting out. This investment in the Chinese digital giant brought him more than $100 billion 20 years later.
His personal wealth is estimated at $2.7 billion.
