Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote has been listed as the richest man in Africa for the 13th year in a row despite the economic turmoil in his country.
The rankings by Forbes Magazine show almost 20 billionaires on the African continent with a combined worth of $82.4bn (£64.8bn).
“The continent remains one of the world’s toughest places to build – and hold on to – a billion-dollar fortune,” the business magazine wrote.
Despite currency turmoil in Nigeria that saw the Naira being devalued, Dangote’s fortune rose by $400m over the last year to a net worth of $13.9bn, Forbes calculated.
Dangote, the founder and chairman of the multinational conglomerate the Dangote Group, recently opened the $19 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery in a bid to help make Nigeria self-sufficient in fuel.
Dangote has a net worth of $18.5 billion and is 98th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Forbes puts his wealth at $ 17 billion, which males makes him Africa’s wealthiest person.
Appearing on The David Rubenstein Show in 2020, Dangote said the title came with “a lot of baggage” and many demands, but he saw that as a positive thing as he enjoyed giving back to society.
Second and third spots are held by South Africans, luxury goods magnate Johann Rupert and former diamond miner Nicky Oppenheimer.
Rupert is chairman of Swiss luxury goods firm Compagnie Financiere Richemont and the company is best known for the brands Cartier and Montblanc.
Oppenheimer, heir to the DeBeers diamond fortune, sold his 40% of the firm to mining group Anglo American for $5.1 billion in cash in 2012.
South Africa has another four people on the rich list, followed by Egypt with five, Nigeria with four and Morocco with two. Algeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe each have one billionaire.
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