Forbes, publishers of the world’s prestigious list of billionaires recently released its 2019 list of black billionaires comprising 13 of black origin around the world. Nigeria and USA topped the list with 4 billionaires apiece while Zimbabwe, Angola, South Africa, Canada and Britain had one representative each on the list released by Forbes on March 5, 2019.
Top on the list is, Aliko Dangote with a networth of $10.9 billion, according to Forbes – a fortune made from Sugar, Cement and flour production. Dangote is building an oil refinery to produce 6500,000 barrels a day when it finally comes on steam in 2020.
Michael Adenuga follows closely with an estimated $9.1 billion. Adenuga is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Globacom, a Nigerian mobile phone network. He also founded Conoil, one of the nation’s first indigenous oil exploration companies in the early 90s and Cobblestone Properties, with hundreds of prime residential and commercial property all over Nigeria.
Also listed among Forbes black billionaires Abdul Samad Rabiu, Founder and Executive Chairman of BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate with interests in sugar refining, cement production, real estate, steel, port concessions, manufacturing, oil gas and shipping.
He is Africa’s 16th richest billionaire with estimated wealth of USD1.6 billion. Abdul Samad recently merged his privately owned 1.5 million metric tonnes Kalambaina Cement Company with listed firm the 500,000 mtpa Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN), which he controlled as Chairman of the Board of Directors in a $1.1billion transaction in 2018.
Nigeria’s first female billionaire Folorunsho Alakija, with a net worth of $1.1 billion also made the list. Alakija is the founder of Famfa Oil, a Nigerian company that owns a lucrative oil block on the Agbami deep-water oilfield in Nigeria. Others listed among Forbes billionaires include: America’s Robert Smith, $5 billion, David Steward, $3 billion, Oprah Winfrey, $2.5 billion, Zimbabwe’s Strive Masiyiwa, $2.4 billion, Angola’s Isabel Dos Santos, $2.3 billion, South African Patrice Motsepe, $2.3 billion, ; former basket ball player, Michael Jordan, $1.9 billion, Michael Lee-Chin, $1.9 billion, Canadian and Mohammed Ibrahim, $1.1 billion, British.
Alakija of Nigeria and Oprah Winfrey of the US and Angolan investor Isabel dos Santos are the only black female billionaires in the world.