February 18, 2022
Globally, Tesla CEO – Elon Musk ($234 billion), Amazon Chairman – Jeff Bezos ($184 billion) and French businessman Bernard Arnault ($165 billion) dominated the index by securing the top three spots. Bill Gates ($129 billion), Larry Page ($123 billion) and Sergey Brin ($118 billion) are placed at the fourth, fifth, and sixth spot, respectively.
Here are the five Africans who feature in the top 500 As of the time of writing:
1) Aliko Dangote (Nigeria) – $20.1 billion
Ranked #96, Aliko Dangote got off to a great start in 2022, adding about $950 million to his fortune since the year began. The Nigerian billionaire’s wealth rose following a year-to-date price increase in the shares of Dangote Cement Plc. Aliko Dangote owns sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest cement producer, Dangote Cement, which had revenue of 891.7 billion Naira ($2.5 billion) in 2019. It also has interests in sugar, salt, oil, fertiliser and packaged food.
2) Johann Rupert & family (South Africa) – $11.8 billion
South African business mogul Johann Rupert oversees an elite portfolio of luxury brands that includes fashion labels Azzedine Alaïa, Chloé, and Dunhill, alongside established jewellery and watch brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Vacheron Constantin and Cartier via Google Images
Ranked #184 on the list, Rupert is one of South Africa’s best-known billionaires with shareholding in a large number of South African and international companies. Through Remgro, Rupert controls investments in the financial, healthcare, consumer products, industrial, infrastructure, media, and sports industries. He also controls the world’s largest luxury watchmaker, Cie. Financiere Richemont, through a family trust. The Bellevue, Switzerland-based company’s brands include Jaeger-LeCoultre and Cartier.
3) Nicky Oppenheimer (South Africa) – $8.30billion
Nicky Oppenheimer, a South African billionaire businessman and philanthropist. (Celebrity Family) Celebrity Family
Ranked #295 on the list, Nicky Oppenheimer is South Africa’s second-richest person with a net worth of $8.30billion. Since the beginning of the year, his net worth has increased by over $200 million, thanks to the revaluation of his private equity assets held through Stockdale Street and Tana Africa Capital. Tana Africa recently exited its position in Regina, Egypt’s second-largest pasta manufacturer and the leading producer of durum wheat flour.
4) Natie Kirsh (South Africa) – $7.98 billion
Ranked #319 on the list, Kirsh’s net worth has risen significantly in the last two weeks due to an increase in the value of his most valuable asset, Jetro Holdings. The majority of his wealth is derived from a 75-per cent stake in Jetro Holdings, a New York-based conglomerate that manages two wholesale grocery businesses in the United States. According to Billionaires Africa, his 75-per cent stake in Jetro Holdings accounts for 61 per cent of his total wealth valuation, with the market value of his stake in the New York-based conglomerate presently valued at $4.8 billion.
5) Nassef Sawiris (Egypt) – $6.56 billion
Ranked #417 on the list is Egypt’s richest person, set records early this year for one of the fastest streaks of wealth accumulation among his counterparts, gaining $260 million following a surge in the market value of his stake in Adidas. The Egyptian billionaire would go on to lose $230 million after as shares of German-based sportswear company Addidas fell by more than six per cent due to the recent sell-off on the global equity market, caused by concerns about monetary authorities’ policy stance in containing soaring consumer prices and inflation. His $6.5 billion net worth still places him as the fifth-richest billionaire in Africa and Egypt’s richest man. However, he’s now almost $14 billion behind Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, whose net worth ($20.1 billion) has surged since the start of the year due to an increase in the stock price of Dangote Cement.
