Dangote Leads 3 Nigerians Among 10 of Africa's Richest Men in 2026
- Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker as of September 1, 2026 placed Dangote ahead of all other African billionaires
- The Nigerian industrialist's wealth grew by about $2.9 billion since Forbes published its annual Africa billionaires list in March
- South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe dropped out of Africa's top 10 richest people, falling to 11th position
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Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
Aliko Dangote has retained his position as Africa’s richest person, with his fortune rising to $31.4 billion as of September 1, 2026, according to Forbes.
The Nigerian industrialist remains well ahead of Eswatini-based billionaire Nathan Kirsh, who has an estimated net worth of $19.2 billion.
Source: Getty Images
South African billionaire Johann Rupert and his family rank third with $17.5 billion.
Together, Dangote, Kirsh and Rupert account for about 56% of the combined $121.3 billion wealth held by Africa’s 10 richest people.
Forbes’ real-time billionaire tracker shows that Dangote has added about $2.9 billion to his fortune since the publication of the magazine’s annual Africa billionaires list in March.
His wealth is largely linked to his interests in manufacturing, including Dangote Cement and the Dangote refinery in Lagos.
Dangote owns an 87.45% stake in Dangote Cement and a 92.3% stake in the refinery, according to Forbes.
The billionaire has now remained at the top of Forbes’ annual Africa ranking for 15 consecutive years.
Patrice Motsepe drops out of Africa’s top 10 billionaires
South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe has dropped to 11th position on Forbes’ real-time ranking.
Motsepe, founder of African Rainbow Minerals, has an estimated fortune of $3.6 billion, according to Billionaires.Africa.
He was overtaken by fellow South African billionaire Michiel le Roux, founder of Capitec, whose fortune stands at $3.7 billion.
Top 10 richest people in Africa
The following is the ranking based on Forbes’ real-time billionaires tracker as of September 1, 2026.
Billionaire | Net worth | Country |
Aliko Dangote | $31.4bn | Nigeria |
Nathan Kirsh | $19.2bn | Eswatini |
Johann Rupert and family | $17.5bn | South Africa |
Abdulsamad Rabiu | $12.6bn | Nigeria |
Nicky Oppenheimer and family | $10.7bn | South Africa |
Nassef Sawiris | $9.6bn | Egypt |
Mike Adenuga | $7bn | Nigeria |
Naguib Sawiris | $5.6bn | Egypt |
Mohamed Mansour | $4bn | Egypt |
Michiel le Roux | $3.7bn | South Africa |
Forbes’ real-time figures can change daily because billionaire fortunes are affected by movements in share prices and exchange rates.
Source: Getty Images
The ranking therefore reflects the estimated wealth of the individuals on September 1, rather than a fixed annual ranking.
Otedola's wealth soars to 10-year high
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Femi Otedola's personal fortune has climbed back to its highest point in nearly a decade after First HoldCo Plc, the parent company of First Bank of Nigeria, broke through the N6 trillion market capitalisation barrier for the first time in Nigerian banking history.
Forbes' real-time billionaire tracker put Otedola's net worth at $1.8 billion.
That figure matches wealth levels he last recorded in 2018 and represents a rise of roughly $700 million.
Source: Legit.ng
