Africa’s 20 richest heirs leading billion-dollar empires

Africa’s richest heirs are redefining wealth transfer across the continent, taking control of multi-billion-dollar empires built by industrial, telecom, and luxury magnates.

From Nigeria’s Dangote daughters to South Africa’s Rupert heirs, the next generation is driving strategic expansion, corporate governance, and digital transformation.

Unlike earlier successors, today’s heirs are globally educated, board-seasoned, and focused on institutional leadership. With conglomerates facing currency volatility, regulatory scrutiny, and global competition, preserving founder-built dominance requires operational discipline and structured succession planning.

The transition is unfolding at a pivotal time. African conglomerates face currency volatility, regulatory scrutiny, energy disruptions, and intensifying global competition. Preserving founder-built dominance now requires operational discipline, digital transformation, and institutional capital strategies.

In Nigeria, the Dangote daughters are embedded within Africa’s largest industrial group. In Egypt, the Sawiris brothers have globalized Orascom’s legacy into fertilizers, construction, telecom exits, and European resort towns. In South Africa, the Rupert and Motsepe heirs sit atop global luxury houses and mining giants. Across East Africa, political dynasties maintain sprawling land, banking, and hospitality assets.

Together, these 20 heirs and heiresses profiled by Shore Africa are redefining generational wealth transfer on the continent, shifting from inheritance to institutional leadership.

1. Aliko Dangote’s family
a. Halima Dangote (Nigeria)
Group Executive Director at Dangote Industries, Halima oversees corporate strategy, sustainability, and governance across cement, sugar, and the $20-billion refinery complex. Educated in the U.K., she sits on key subsidiary boards, reinforcing structured succession within Africa’s largest industrial conglomerate founded by Aliko Dangote. Her appointment includes the Dangote Family Office and International Offices in Dubai and London. Beyond ceremonial duties, she also leads the full development of the family office’s governance framework, operating model, policies, and organizational structure.

b. Mariya Dangote (Nigeria)
Mariya serves as Executive Director at Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest cement producer by capacity. Trained in finance and management, she supports cross-border expansion across more than 10 African markets, focusing on operational efficiency, cost controls, and capital deployment.

c. Fatima Dangote (Nigeria)
Fatima plays an executive role within Dangote Group’s consumer and industrial subsidiaries, contributing to commercial oversight and branding. Her involvement reflects formal grooming of the next generation within a conglomerate generating multi-billion-dollar annual revenues.

2. Johann Rupert’s family
a. Anton Rupert Jr. (South Africa)
Johann Rupert’s eldest son Anton Rupert Jr. holds formal board roles. Anton Rupert Jr. serves as a non‑executive director on the boards of both Compagnie Financière Richemont and Remgro, the twin pillars of the Rupert business empire. He was appointed to Richemont’s board in 2017 and Remgro’s in 2018, bringing fresh perspectives on consumer strategy, digital engagement, and sustainability, and is widely regarded as the heir apparent in institutional leadership succession.

b. Hanneli Rupert (South Africa)
Hanneli Rupert plays a strategic role within the family’s philanthropic and wine estate operations. Though less public, her involvement supports stewardship of extensive agricultural and heritage assets linked to the Rupert fortune.

c. Caroline Rupert (South Africa)
Caroline Rupert is a key figure in the Rupert Family Foundation, driving philanthropic efforts focused on education, healthcare, and community development, ensuring the family’s wealth supports broader social impact beyond corporate profits.

3. Mike Adenuga’s family
Bella Disu (Nigeria)
As Executive Vice Chairman of Globacom, Bella Disu oversees network expansion, digital infrastructure investment, and enterprise strategy across Nigeria’s second-largest telecom operator. She also sits on the board of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, contributing to governance oversight at one of the country’s largest construction firms, and plays a leadership role at Albumen Limited, managing high-value real estate and investment assets within the Adenuga portfolio.

4. AbdulSamad Rabiu’s family
Khalifa Rabiu (Nigeria)
Son of Abdulsamad Rabiu, Khalifa Rabiu represents the next generation within BUA Group, one of Africa’s fastest-growing industrial conglomerates with interests spanning cement, sugar refining, real estate, and infrastructure. Groomed within the family enterprise, he is increasingly visible in corporate and philanthropic circles, aligning with BUA’s expansion strategy as it deepens manufacturing capacity and strengthens its footprint across West Africa’s industrial landscape.

5. Nicky Oppenheimer’s family
Jonathan Oppenheimer (South Africa)
Jonathan, Nicky’s eldest and most publicly active heir, serves as Executive Chairman of Oppenheimer Generations, the family’s investment vehicle that manages diversified assets post‑De Beers and Anglo American. Before this, he held senior roles at De Beers and Anglo American, positioning him as the primary steward of the family’s commercial legacy and long‑term capital allocation strategy. While Nicky’s industrial crown jewel De Beers was largely divested to Anglo American, his children, notably Jonathan and Kirsten Oppenheimer, remain embedded in board and executive roles, shaping investment direction, conservation efforts, and strategic philanthropy rooted in the family’s century‑long business heritage.

6. Samih Sawiris’ family
Naguib Samih Sawiris (Egypt)
Samih Sawiris transferred his Orascom Development Holding chairmanship to his son, Naguib Samih Sawiris, in a formal generational shift. This marked one of the first clear instances of a Sawiris heir assuming corporate governance responsibility within the Orascom ecosystem.

7. Mohamed Mansour’s family
Loutfy Mansour (Egypt)
Mohamed Mansour’s family has already seen the next generation take visible roles in the business empire. His son, Loutfy Mansour, serves as CEO of Man Capital LLP, the London‑based family office and principal investment arm of the Mansour Group, and sits on boards tied to the group’s strategic investments, including the partnership with Right To Dream football academy. His involvement reflects a formal transfer of operational responsibility in the family’s global investment portfolio.

8. Ivan Saltzman’s family
a. Dan Saltzman (South Africa)
Dan Saltzman became a significant shareholder in Dis-Chem in June 2025 after receiving a 12.62% stake through a R6.8 billion ($427.2 million) generational transfer from Ivlyn Local Investment Holdings. While maintaining a relatively low public profile, he represents continuity of second-generation ownership within one of South Africa’s largest listed pharmacy retailers. 

b. Mark Saltzman (South Africa)
Mark Saltzman holds a 12.62 percent stake in Dis-Chem following a structured family restructuring in 2025. As part of the next-generation shareholders, he anchors long-term family control of the JSE-listed healthcare retailer, reinforcing a calibrated succession framework designed to preserve governance stability and concentrated ownership. 

c. Saul Saltzman (South Africa)
Saul Saltzman serves as Executive Director at Dis-Chem, playing an active operational role within the pharmacy chain founded by his father, Ivan Saltzman. Positioned at the intersection of management and ownership, he provides leadership continuity as the company transitions from founder-led oversight to structured second-generation stewardship.

9. Herbert Wigwe’s family
Otutochi Wigwe (Nigeria)
Otutochi Wigwe, heiress of Herbert Wigwe’s banking empire, faces challenges navigating family disputes and estate complexities. Reports suggest tensions over wealth distribution and strategic control, including notable tussles, reflecting the broader struggle of succession and governance within one of Nigeria’s most influential financial families.

10. Patrice Motsepe’s children
Thlopie Motsepe (South Africa)
South African mining magnate and billionaire Patrice Motsepe has three sons, Thlopie, Kgosi, and Kabelo Motsepe, who represent the next generation of leadership, particularly in the family’s sports and business interests. Motsepe has positioned his eldest son, Thlopie Motsepe, as chairman of the family‑owned Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club, indicating a formal role in running one of South Africa’s most successful sports brands. His other sons, Kgosi and Kabelo, are also involved in entrepreneurial and philanthropic initiatives aligned with the family’s broader corporate and social vision. In recent corporate developments, Patrice Motsepe transitioned from executive chairman to non‑executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals in February 2026, reflecting a governance shift while maintaining his influence at the group he founded.

11. Issad Rebrab’s children (Algeria)
Issad Rebrab’s children are already deeply embedded in the governance and leadership of his business empire. All five of his children, Omar, Lynda, Malik, Yassine, and Salim, hold senior executive roles across the Cevital Group’s diversified portfolio. Omar Rebrab serves as CEO of Automotive, Real Estate and Services, overseeing key sectors such as vehicle distribution, commercial property and non‑industrial services. Malik Rebrab was appointed overall CEO of Cevital in 2022, formalizing succession planning and leading strategic expansion. Lynda Rebrab leads Research & Development, responsible for product innovation and technical strategy. Yassine Rebrab is a managing shareholder, contributing to high‑level governance and capital allocation decisions. Salim Rebrab heads Food Processing and Distribution, overseeing operations in Algeria and export markets. This multi‑sibling leadership structure reflects a deliberate succession plan to maintain family control over the largest privately held company in Algeria, spanning food processing, automotive, industrial manufacturing, mass distribution, real estate and more.

12. Anas Sefrioui’s children
Kenza Sefrioui (Morocco)
Anas Sefrioui’s children are already active in his business empire. His daughter Kenza Sefrioui serves as deputy chairman of Douja Promotion Groupe Addoha, the Casablanca‑listed real estate and housing developer he founded, reinforcing family leadership at the highest level. His son, Malik Sefrioui, holds the position of vice‑president at Ciments de l’Atlas and Ciments de l’Afrique, subsidiaries within the Sefrioui group’s building materials and cement operations. Both siblings are integral to governance and strategic decision‑making across the family’s core real estate and industrial businesses.

13. Aziz Akhannouch’s children
Kenza and Ahmed Akhannouch (Morocco)
Aziz Akhannouch’s children are increasingly stepping into the family’s business sphere. Two of his children, Kenza Akhannouch and Ahmed Akhannouch, were appointed to the board of Ourti Holding, a family-owned investment vehicle connected with Akhannouch interests, in mid‑2023 as part of a board refresh following a real‑estate joint‑venture exit. While Akwa Group’s core listed and private boards continue to be led by senior executives and family allies, this move marks the first formal board representation of the next generation in the family’s investment ecosystem.

14. Jannie Mouton’s children
Piet and Jan Mouton (South Africa)
Jannie Mouton’s children are actively involved in his business empire, particularly within PSG Group and its associated investment holdings. Piet Mouton (one of Mouton’s sons) is CEO of PSG Group, the diversified investment holding company founded by his father, and serves on key boards within the broader group. Jan Mouton, the eldest son, manages the PSG Flexible Fund and is a non‑executive director of PSG Group. Both sons also sit on the board of PSG Financial Services, the group’s listed financial services arm, where the family trust holds a material stake.

15. Raymond Ackerman’s children
Gareth Ackerman (South Africa)
Gareth Ackerman, Raymond’s eldest son, succeeded him as Chairman of Pick ‘n Pay when Raymond retired in 2010 and led the company for more than a decade before retiring in 2025. Suzanne Ackerman-Berman and Jonathan Ackerman both served on Pick ‘n Pay’s board of directors, contributing to governance, sustainability, and modernization efforts after their father stepped down. Kathryn (Kathy) Ackerman is also part of the family’s extended leadership network, though her role has been less publicly detailed. Between 2024–25, the Ackerman family began a strategic restructuring of control, selling down shares and ceding majority governance while remaining significant anchor stakeholders, reflecting a shift from direct family control toward broader institutional leadership, even as family members still influence corporate direction.

16. Christo Wiese’s children
Jacob Wiese (South Africa)
Wiese’s children have been involved in his business interests. Jacob Wiese, his son, has served on several boards associated with the family’s holdings, including Shoprite Holdings Ltd and Invicta Holdings Ltd, reflecting a generational handover in governance roles. Daniel Wiese (another son) has been reported previously as a board member of Steinhoff International and has held directorships at other listed entities linked to the Wiese family’s interests.

17. Strive Masiyiwa’s children
Strive Masiyiwa’s family has begun formal succession within his flagship business. Two of his daughters now sit on the board of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, marking a clear shift from founder-led governance to generational participation. Elizabeth Tanya Masiyiwa was appointed as a director of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe in April 2022 following her father’s stepping down from the board. In October 2025, Sarah Masiyiwa was added as an Alternate Director on Econet’s board, expanding family governance influence. These appointments give the Masiyiwa family two seats on the telecom giant’s board, reinforcing succession planning and strategic alignment with the founder’s long-term vision as Strive increasingly steps back from direct board roles.

18. The Kenyattas
a. Muhoho Kenyatta (Kenya)
Muhoho manages agribusiness, dairy, and commercial land operations within the Kenyatta portfolio, focusing on agricultural productivity and asset preservation.

b. Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya)
Beyond his presidency, Uhuru remains linked to expansive family interests in banking, hospitality, and agriculture, anchoring generational continuity in Kenya’s corporate elite.

19. The Wavamunno’s family
a. Gilbert Wavamunno (Uganda)
Gilbert leads Spear Group’s automotive distribution and real estate operations, sustaining Uganda’s largest private vehicle dealership network founded by Gordon Wavamunno.

b. Elvis Wavamunno (Uganda)
Elvis drives diversification into bottled water and consumer goods, expanding the family’s commercial footprint beyond automotive retail. Elvis Sekyanzi, also known as Elvis Sekyanzi Wavamunno, is a Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur and qualified sound engineer,one of the wealthiest Ugandans. His father was Ugandan millionaire and entrepreneur Gordon Wavamunno.

20. Richard Rujugiro (Rwanda)
Richard supports strategic expansion and asset coordination within the tobacco conglomerate built by Tribert Rujugiro, maintaining regional production dominance. Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa, was a prominent Rwandan entrepreneur, industrialist, and founder of the Pan African Tobacco Group (PTG), one of Africa’s largest tobacco manufacturers.