According to King Solomon, the wisest man ever according to the Hebrew and Christian Bible, Money is the answer for everything. Everyone is trying to make money but there are people that have already made an abundance of it. I’m sure you know Elon Musk, Jeff Besos, and Bill Gates – these names are synonymous with wealth. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world is worth $277 billion; that’s over N115 trillion.
Going away from the world’s richest men, let’s look at Africa. While African billionaires don’t make the list of top 50 richest men in the world, they are still very wealthy. Do you know who the richest people in Africa in 2022 are? Check the list below to find out:
1. Aliko Dangote 🇳🇬 ($13.9 billion)
Aliko Dangote, from Nigeria, has been the richest man in Africa for more than a decade. The 64 year old is worth $13.9 billion or N5.78 trillion. The Kano State indigene made his wealth from his Dangote Group companies which was established in 1977; not taking away the fact that his great-grandfather, Alhassan Dantata, was the richest man in West Africa years until his death.
2. Johann Rupert 🇿🇦 ($10.5B)
Johann Rupert, from South Africa, is the second richest man in Africa with a networth of $10.5 billion. He’s currently the chairman of Richemont and Remgro and CEO of Compagnie Financiere Richemont. To have an insight on how much the 71 year old is worth, he can buy about 6.5 troy ounces of gold.
3. Nicky Oppenheimer 🇿🇦 ($8.7B)
The third richest man in Africa is Nicky Oppenheimer, another South African. He’s worth $8.7 billion with his fortune coming from different investments including De Beers diamond mining company, the Diamond trading company, and Anglo American. It won’t be wrong to conclude that nature made him rich.
4. Nassef Sawiris 🇪🇬 ($8.4B)
Nassef Sawiris, from Egypt, comes fourth in the list of richest people in Africa with an $8.4 billion net worth. He’s a businessman and the richest Arab man in the world. In simpler terms, he’s the richest man in Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and the rest of the Arab countries.
5. Mike Adenuga 🇳🇬 ($6.7B)
The second Nigerian on this list is Mike Adenuga. With a networth of $6.7 billion, he’s the fifth richest man in Africa. Adenuga’s wealth comes mainly from his Globacom (Glo) company which is the second largest telecom operator in over 200 million-populated Nigeria.
6. Issad Rebrab 🇩🇿 ($4.8B)
The second richest Arab man in the world is Issad Rebrab and he’s the sixth richest man in Africa. Issad Rebrab, from Algeria, is the CEO of Cevital – the largest private conglomerate in his home country. Hence, Issad Rebrab made his fortune from joint-stock investments.
7. Abdulsamad Rabiu 🇳🇬 ($4.5B)
From Northern Nigeria, Abdulsamad Rabiu, founder and chairman of BUA Group is the seventh richest man in Africa. Also the chairman of the Nigerian Bank of Industry (BOI), Rabiu is worth $4.5 billion. His wealth comes mainly from commodity trading. Nevertheless, his company also engages in manufacturing and infrastructure.
8. Strive Masiyiwa 🇿🇼 ($3.6B)
Born in Zimbabwe but based in London, Strive Masiyiwa has a $3.6 billion net worth. He’s the richest Zimbabwean and a board member of some renowned companies like Unilever, Netflix, Bank of America, and National Geographic Society. The 60 year old is a renowned philanthropist.
9. Naguib Sawiris 🇪🇬 ($3.1 billion)
With a $3.1 billion net worth, Naguib Sawiris is one of the world’s Arab billionaires. He’s currently the CEO and chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding. He’s the son of Onsi Sawiris was also a billionaire and the original founder of the Orascom conglomerate.
10. & 11. Patrice Motsepe 🇿🇦, Koos Bekker 🇿🇦 ($2.8 billion each)
Number 10 & 11 is a tie between two South Africans, Patrice Motsepe and Koos Bekker. Both billionaires are with $2.8 billion. Patrice is the current president of CAF – Confederation of African Football – and the founder of African Rainbow Minerals. Bekker is the chairman of Naspers, a media group.
12. Mohamed Mansour 🇪🇬 ($2.5 billion)
At number 12, we have Mohammed Mansour. Mansour is worth $2.5 billion and the chairman of Mansour group, a company that’s worth $6 billion. He’s a businessman and politician who took over the Mansour conglomerate from his father after his death in 1976.
13. Aziz Akhannouch 🇲🇦 ($2B)
From Morocco, we have Aziz Akhannouch, the thirteenth richest man in Africa. The $2 billion-net worth billionaire is also the prime minister of his country as his administration took over in October 2021. He’s also the current CEO of Akwa Group.
14. Michiel Le Roux 🇿🇦 ($1.8B)
Michiel Le Roux, from South Africa is a banker and billionaire worth $1.8 billion. He’s the founder of Capitec Bank where he worked as CEO till 2004. Although he’s no longer CEO, he’s a board member and owns about 11% of the company stake.
15. Mo Dewji 🇹🇿 ($1.6B)
At number 15, and last but not in anyway least, is Mo Dewji, Tanzania’s richest man. With a $1.6 billion networth, Dewji who is just 47 years old is the youngest billionaire in Africa. He was the first Tanzanian to feature on Forbes Magazine cover when he appeared in 2013.
Bottom Line
If you’re reading this, your name too could be on this list of richest people in Africa; it only takes time and effort.