Black billionaires are individuals of Black African lineage with a net worth of at least US$1 billion. Year in year out, Forbes roll out lists of the world’s billionaires, consisting of individuals from different continents. Africans also make this list; though, the number could be few and sometimes inconsistent as some fall of the list. Africans, however, make this yearly list and are proud of their representation.
In this article, we will look at Africans who consistently make the black billionaires list from 2012 – 2019. The numbers differ with an increase in the number of blacks yearly. In 2019, 13 black billionaires made the list. 2018 had 11 blacks while 2017 had just ten black billionaires. In 2015, 11 made the cut-off, three more than that of 2014. Only seven blacks made it in 2013 while 6 made it in 2012
The Business Tycoons Who Regularly Made the Lists
Data curated from Forbes’ Black Billionaires List (2012-2019) shows that only five individuals have consistently made it to the World Billionaires List. These persons had not fallen out since 2012. Aliko Dangote (Nigeria), Mike Adenuga (Nigeria), Oprah Winfrey (African-American), Patrice Motsepe (South Africa), and Mohammed Ibrahim (Sudanese-British) are the five. Others like Isabel dos Santos, Folorunsho Alakija, Mohammed Al-Amoudi didn’t make the cut a couple of times.
Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian business tycoon, is the wealthiest black individual in the world with a wealth estimated at $10.9 billion in 2019. He owns the continent’s largest cement production company, Dangote Cement. The company has plants in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Tanzania. His conglomerate, the Dangote Group, also has business interests in sugar, flour and salt production. He has extended his business interest to petrochemical produces. His oil refinery, located at Lekki Free Trade Zone, is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2019. The refinery is projected to be the world’s biggest single-train facility. Here is his estimated net worth since 2012.
Mike Adenuga
The Nigerian – born business mogul is the world’s second-richest black being with $9.1 billion net worth in 2019. Adenuga’s wealth comes from his mobile telecoms business (Globacom) and oil business (Conoil). Today, his oil company, Conoil, is Nigeria’s largest local oil exploration company. Globacom had more than 45 million subscribers in 2018. In February 2019, data published by the Nigerian Communications Commission shows that Globacom had gained 400,879 subscribers to top the gainers’ table.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah, the richest African-American woman in the world, is the fourth richest black billionaire in 2019. She is worth $2.5 billion. She runs a 25 years old daytime TV show which is watched by many. Her Harpo production company and cable channel also fetch her wealth. The cable channel enjoys a positive rating. She is a philanthropist who gives to education causes. Here is his wealth chart.
Patrice Motsepe
Patrice Motsepe is the first and only South African billionaire with $2.3 billion net worth. He ranks 9th on this years’ Black Billionaire List. He is the founder of African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), a mining company listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The company has interest in ferrous metals, base metals, goals platinum, nickel, chrome, iron, manganese, coal, and copper. He gives to his wealth to charitable causes. Find his wealth chart below.
Mohammed Ibrahim
The Sudanese-born business mogul is the 13th and lowest black billionaire on the Forbes list in 2019. His net worth is 1.1 billion. He made his wealth is from his telecommunication business, Celtel International, founded in 1998. Celtel serves Africa and the Middle East. In 2006, he established the Mohammed Ibrahim Foundation, which focuses on advancing good governance in Africa. The chart below shows his wealth trend.
The above tycoons are the consistently featured black billionaires since 2012 till date. This doesn’t imply the richest of all. For instance, Oprah Winfrey, Patrice Motsepe, and Mohammed Ibrahim are 4th, 9th, and 13th black billionaires in 2019, respectively. It means there are other billionaires, richer than these. Look at the chart below to see all black billionaires according to their net worth.
