South Africans tops Forbes’ 2025 Africa richest list, followed by Nigerians

Forbes’ 2025 Billionaires List shows South Africa leading with seven billionaires, followed by Nigeria with four. Aliko Dangote remains Africa’s richest, worth $23.9 billion.

Forbes has unveiled its 2025 Billionaires List, highlighting Africa’s wealthiest individuals. The ranking reveals that South Africans dominate the list, with seven billionaires, while Nigerians follow closely with four.

The continent’s 22 billionaires now hold a combined net worth of $105 billion, marking a significant increase from $82.4 billion in 2024. This surge is attributed to rising stock market valuations and economic growth.

Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian business magnate and owner of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, remains Africa’s richest individual with a staggering net worth of $23.9 billion, up from $13.9 billion last year. Forbes attributes his wealth surge to the valuation of his refinery, which was factored into his fortune for the first time.

Following Dangote is Johann Rupert from South Africa, the chairman of luxury goods conglomerate Richemont, with a net worth of $11.1 billion. Another South African, Nicky Oppenheimer, who built his fortune in the diamond industry (De Beers), ranks third with $9.4 billion.

Nigeria remains a strong contender, with Mike Adenuga (Globacom) ranking fifth with $6.8 billion, followed by Abdulsamad Rabiu (BUA Group) in sixth place with $5.1 billion. Femi Otedola, chairman of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings Plc, appears at 16th place with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

According to Forbes, the country breakdown of African billionaires is as follows:

• South Africa – 7 billionaires
• Nigeria – 4 billionaires
• Egypt – 4 billionaires
• Morocco – 3 billionaires
• Algeria – 1 billionaire
• Tanzania – 1 billionaire
• Zimbabwe – 1 billionaire

Forbes clarified that its list only includes billionaires who live in Africa or have their primary business operations there. This excludes Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim, a UK citizen, and Nathan Kirsh (Eswatini/South Africa), who operates out of London.

The rankings were calculated using stock prices and currency exchange rates as of March 7, 2025.

Top Richest Africans on Forbes 2025 List

• Aliko Dangote (Nigeria) – $23.9 billion (Dangote Petroleum Refinery)
• Johann Rupert (South Africa) – $11.1 billion (Luxury goods, Richemont)
• Nicky Oppenheimer (South Africa) – $9.4 billion (Diamonds, De Beers)
• Mike Adenuga (Nigeria) – $6.8 billion (Telecoms, Globacom)
• Nassef Sawiris (Egypt) – $6.7 billion (Construction, Orascom)
• Abdulsamad Rabiu (Nigeria) – $5.1 billion (Cement & Sugar, BUA Group)
• Issad Rebrab (Algeria) – $4.6 billion (Food industry, Cevital)
• Nathan Kirsh (Eswatini/South Africa) – $4.1 billion (Retail, Jetro Holdings)
• Patrice Motsepe (South Africa) – $3.9 billion (Mining, African Rainbow Minerals)
• Koos Bekker (South Africa) – $2.8 billion (Media, Naspers)
• Mohamed Mansour (Egypt) – $2.6 billion (Diversified business, Mansour Group)
• Strive Masiyiwa (Zimbabwe) – $2.5 billion (Telecoms, Econet)
• Youssef Mansour (Egypt) – $1.9 billion (Retail, Mansour Group)
• Mohammed Dewji (Tanzania) – $1.8 billion (Manufacturing, MeTL Group)
• Aziz Akhannouch (Morocco) – $1.7 billion (Petroleum, Afriquia Gaz)
• Yasseen Mansour (Egypt) – $1.7 billion (Consumer goods, Mansour Group)
• Othman Benjelloun (Morocco) – $1.6 billion (Banking & Insurance, BMCE Bank)
• Femi Otedola (Nigeria) – $1.5 billion (Banking, FBN Holdings)
• Michiel Le Roux (South Africa) – $1.4 billion (Banking, Capitec Bank)
• Christoffel Wiese (South Africa) – $1.3 billion (Retail, Pepkor & Shoprite)

Source: 3news.com