Again, Dangote Retains Richest Man in Africa Position, Other Billionaires Change Positions
Africa is home to some of the world’s most influential business moguls, whose fortunes stretch across industries like cement, telecoms, luxury goods, oil, and mining.
From Nigeria to South Africa and Egypt, these billionaires not only shape their countries’ economies but also play key roles on the global stage.
Their wealth tells the story of entrepreneurship, family dynasties, and bold investments that have stood the test of time.
Source: UGC
Here are the top 10 richest people in Africa for 2025.
1. Aliko Dangote
Country: Nigeria
Net worth: $23.9 billion
Africa’s richest for the 14th straight year, Dangote built his fortune through Dangote Cement and a fast-scaling oil refinery complex near Lagos. His group also spans sugar, salt, and packaged foods.
A prominent philanthropist, he remains the continent’s defining industrialist, with wealth tied mainly to cement and downstream energy.
Sectors: cement, oil refining, sugar/consumer goods.
2. Johann Rupert & family
Country: South Africa
Net worth: $14 billion
Rupert chairs Richemont (Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc) and also oversees stakes via Remgro and Reinet.
His fortune reflects luxury goods and investment holdings anchored in Switzerland and South Africa. Long regarded as a low-profile power broker, he is Africa’s top luxury billionaire.
Sectors: luxury goods, investments/holding companies.
3. Nicky Oppenheimer & family
Country: South Africa
Net worth: $10.4 billion
Heir to the De Beers diamond legacy, Oppenheimer sold the family’s 40% De Beers stake to Anglo American in 2012 and now invests through Stockdale Street and Tana Africa Capital. Wealth stems from diamonds and diversified investments after exit.
Sectors: diamonds/mining, private investments.
4. Nassef Sawiris
Country: Egypt
Net worth: $9.6 billion
Egypt’s richest person, Sawiris, is an industrialist-investor with holdings spanning construction, fertilisers, European sports, and public equities (including a past MSG Sports stake).
He co-owns Premier League club Aston Villa and controls OCI NV in fertilisers.
Sectors: construction/engineering, fertilisers/chemicals, sports/investments.
5. Mike Adenuga
Country: Nigeria
Net worth: $6.8 billion
Adenuga founded Globacom, one of Nigeria’s largest mobile networks, and owns stakes in oil exploration (Conoil Producing) and banking. Self-made, he scaled telecoms during Africa’s mobile boom and retains energy interests.
Sectors: telecoms, oil & gas, banking.
6. Abdul Samad Rabiu
Country: Nigeria
Net worth: $5.1 billion
Rabiu’s BUA Group is a major player in cement (BUA Cement) and food staples (BUA Foods). His net worth reflects listed stakes and ongoing capacity expansions across cement, sugar, flour, and pasta.
Sectors: cement, sugar/foods, industrials.
7. Naguib Sawiris
Country: Egypt
Net worth: $5.0 billion
A telecoms pioneer, Sawiris built and sold Orascom Telecom to VimpelCom (now VEON) and has since focused on investments via Orascom TMT and gold mining platform La Mancha. His assets span media, tech, and resources.
Sectors: telecommunications, mining (gold), investments.
8. Koos Bekker
Country: South Africa
Net worth: $3.4 billion
Bekker transformed Naspers from a newspaper group into a global tech and media investor (notably its early Tencent bet via Prosus). Today, he is Naspers’ chair, with wealth tied to media, e-commerce and investment holdings.
Sectors: media, technology investments.
9. Mohamed Mansour
Country: Egypt
Net worth: $3.4 billion
Mansour oversees Mansour Group, a vast family conglomerate with GM distribution, Caterpillar dealerships across Africa, consumer/retail, and financial investments. A former Egyptian transport minister, he has broadened the group’s global reach.
Sectors: diversified conglomerate (auto distribution, heavy equipment, retail/investments).
10. Patrice Motsepe
Country: South Africa
Net worth: $3.0 billion
Founder of African Rainbow Minerals, Motsepe built a diversified mining portfolio (platinum group metals, gold, iron ore, copper). He also holds interests in finance and sports (owner, Mamelodi Sundowns) and leads CAF.
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Sectors: mining, diversified investments.
Source: Facebook
Dangote climbs the world's billionaires' ranking
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Dangote once again rose on the global billionaire list, cementing his position among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
According to the latest data from Forbes, Dangote now ranks as the 89th richest person in the world, with a total net worth of $24.1 billion.
Dangote, the man behind Africa's largest refinery, has been rising steadily in the global billionaire rankings, climbing from a net worth of $11.5 billion and a ranking of 199 at the start of 2025 to his current position.
Source: Legit.ng
