At a Glance
- Billionaire wealth in Africa is concentrated in Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt.
- Fortunes are built on cement, energy, telecoms and large-scale industrial assets.
- Single-billionaire nations show how private capital reshapes entire national economies.
Africa’s billionaire class remains small but influential, concentrated in a handful of countries where scale, timing, and sector dominance intersect.
From Nigeria and South Africa to Egypt and Ethiopia, these individuals are not just wealthy, they are economic anchors whose businesses shape national output, employment, and industrial capacity.
What distinguishes Africa’s richest is the nature of their wealth. Unlike Silicon Valley fortunes built on rapid capital flows, African billionaire wealth is often rooted in hard assets: cement plants, oil refineries, telecom towers, fertilizer factories, and banking networks.
These sectors thrive despite volatile currencies, political risk, and commodity cycles, reflecting a premium on resilience rather than speed. Another defining feature is concentration.
Countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt dominate billionaire rankings, while others, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, produce just one global-scale fortune.
Yet even single-billionaire nations reveal how outsized private capital can shape entire economies, from fuel security to digital inclusion.
Together, these ten figures profiled by Shore Africa serve as standard-bearers for African capitalism, each representing how wealth is built, defended, and redeployed across borders, industries, and generations.
1. Nigeria — Net Worth: $26.2 billion
Aliko Dangote
Source: Cement, Sugar, Flour, Oil
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, commands a sprawling empire through the Dangote Group. He owns 86.81 percent of Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer. The 2024 launch of the Dangote Petrochemical Complex — featuring the world’s largest single-train oil refinery (650,000 barrels/day) — marked a major leap in industrialization, reshaping Nigeria’s economic landscape. His expansive reach spans energy, infrastructure, banking, and manufacturing.
2. South Africa – Net Worth: $14.9 billion
Johann Rupert
Source: Luxury Goods (Richemont)
Chairman of Richemont, Johann Rupert has seen his net worth soar by $2.16 billion in 2025 alone, solidifying his position as Africa’s second-richest person. His strategic maneuver to divest from YNAP sharpened Richemont’s luxury portfolio focus, igniting a 14% surge in the company’s shares. Now nearing a $100 billion market cap, Richemont is stronger than ever under Rupert’s command, with brands like Cartier and Chloé benefiting from his signature discretion and precision.
3. Swaziland (Eswatini) Net Worth: $8.5 billion
Nathan Kirsh
Source: Retail and Real Estate Investments
Africa’s oldest billionaire, 93-year-old Kirsh, has built an empire through U.S.-based Jetro Holdings and Abacus Property Group in Australia. His philanthropic Kirsh Foundation has seeded over 14,000 startups in Eswatini, with a focus on women-led enterprises.
4. Egypt — Net Worth: $8.4 billion
Nassef Sawiris
Source: Fertilizers, Adidas, Chemicals
As CEO of OCI N.V. and a major Adidas shareholder, Nassef Sawiris is Egypt’s wealthiest man. Recent relocation to Italy and Abu Dhabi hasn’t dampened his regional influence. Through NNS Group and sports ventures like Aston Villa FC, Sawiris remains a cross-continental force.
5. Ethiopia— Net Worth: $8.1 billion
Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi
Source: Energy, Mining, Real Estate
Founder of MIDROC Group, Al-Amoudi built one of Africa’s most diversified private empires, spanning oil refining, gold mining, cement, and large-scale agriculture. His investments in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia have shaped industrial capacity, infrastructure development, and employment across multiple sectors.
6. Algeria — Net Worth: $3 billion
Issad Rebrab
Source: Food, Steel, Electronics
Cevital Group’s founder, Rebrab built Algeria’s largest private enterprise. Owning one of the world’s largest sugar refineries, with a capacity of 2 million tons annually. His journey—from rebuilding after terrorist attacks in 1995 to overcoming legal hurdles—epitomizes resilience. In 2022, he stepped down as CEO of Cevital, passing leadership to his son, Malik.
7. Tanzania — Net Worth: $2.2 billion
Mohammed Dewji
Source: Diversified (Textiles, Agriculture, Energy)
CEO of MeTL Group, Dewji heads Tanzania’s largest private employer. With revenues over $2 billion, MeTL’s dominance in consumer goods and logistics places Dewji among East Africa’s most powerful industrialists.
8. Morocco — Net Worth: $1.9 billion
Othman Benjelloun
Source: Banking, Telecom
BMCE Bank’s CEO and FinanceCom head, Benjelloun operates across 20 countries. His decades-long partnerships with Volvo and GM diversified his empire beyond finance into industrials and telecom.
9. Zimbabwe — Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Strive Masiyiwa
Source: Telecom, Tech
Founder of Econet Wireless and chair of Cassava Technologies, Masiyiwa champions digital transformation. His AI factory partnership with NVIDIA and 250,000 scholarships delivered through philanthropy elevate his role as both innovator and humanitarian.
10. Sudan — Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Mo Ibrahim
Source: Telecommunication
Mo Ibrahim, born in Sudan and based in the UK, amassed his fortune by founding Celtel International, one of the first mobile phone companies serving Africa and the Middle East. After selling Celtel for $3.4 billion in 2005 and pocketing $1.4 billion from the sale. With a net worth of approximately $1.3 billion, he established the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, focusing on promoting good governance in Africa. His accolades include the KCMG honor and recognition among Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
