Top 10 richest people in Africa (2025)
From Lagos to Johannesburg, Cairo to Algiers, a new generation of tycoons is rewriting the rules of wealth, building empires in industries you wouldn’t expect.
These billionaires are economic revolutionaries who turned scarcity into opportunity, surviving political turmoil, market crashes, and cutthroat competition to dominate their sectors.
Some inherited family businesses but scaled them globally. Others started with a loan, a market stall, or a single bag of cement, and now they control billion-dollar industries.
This is the real story of Africa’s top 10 richest—how they won, why they stay on top, and what their wealth says about the continent’s future.
1. Aliko Dangote (Nigeria) – $23.9B
Aliko Dangote is the wealthiest man in Africa and one of the continent’s most well-known entrepreneurs. Born in Kano, Nigeria, in 1957, Dangote’s journey to immense wealth began in his early years when he traded in commodities like sugar, salt, and flour.
His breakthrough came in the 1980s when he started his own company, Dangote Group. Today, Dangote’s empire spans across various industries, including cement, sugar, salt, and oil refining. The Dangote Cement company, which is Africa’s largest producer of cement, is one of the major contributors to his wealth.
Dangote’s fortune has also been bolstered by his expansion into the oil sector with the construction of the Dangote Refinery in Lagos.
Once completed, this $12 billion refinery is expected to make Nigeria less reliant on fuel imports and solidify Dangote’s position as a major player in the global market. With a net worth of $23.9 billion, Dangote continues to dominate Africa’s business landscape.
2. Johann Rupert (South Africa) – $14B
Johann Rupert, born in South Africa in 1950, is the chairman of Richemont, a global luxury goods company that owns well-known brands like Cartier, Montblanc, and Dunhill. The Rupert family’s wealth also comes from their significant stakes in companies like Remgro, a South African investment holding company. Johann Rupert took over the family business from his father, Anton Rupert, and transformed it into a global luxury empire.
Rupert’s success story is rooted in his ability to capitalise on the growing demand for luxury goods and his strategic investments in high-end brands. His wealth is primarily derived from his interests in luxury retail, tobacco, and financial services.
With a net worth of $14 billion, Johann Rupert’s influence extends well beyond South Africa, with major business interests in Europe, particularly in the luxury sector.
3. Nicky Oppenheimer (South Africa) – $10.4B
Nicky Oppenheimer, a descendant of the Oppenheimer family that has controlled De Beers, the world’s largest diamond company, for nearly a century, has a net worth of $10.4 billion.
Born in South Africa in 1945, Oppenheimer inherited his family’s stake in De Beers and eventually sold it to Anglo American for $5.1 billion in 2012. The sale marked a major turning point in the family’s fortune, but Oppenheimer’s wealth continues to grow through investments in other sectors, such as agriculture, technology, and conservation.
Oppenheimer’s interests now include an extensive portfolio of land and wildlife conservation areas in Southern Africa. His family continues to hold significant wealth, largely due to Oppenheimer’s diversified investments.
Today, Nicky Oppenheimer remains one of the wealthiest individuals in Africa, continuing to use his wealth for both business ventures and philanthropic causes.
4. Nassef Sawiris (Egypt) – $9.6B
Nassef Sawiris, born in 1961, is Egypt’s richest man and a key figure in the construction, chemicals, and real estate industries. Sawiris is the CEO of OCI, one of the world’s largest producers of nitrogen fertilisers and a major player in the global chemicals sector, which continues to perform well due to growing global demand for agricultural products.
He also holds substantial stakes in various global companies, including the German sportswear giant Adidas, where his investments have played a crucial role in the company’s expansion.
With a net worth of $9.6 billion, Sawiris remains a powerful figure in the Middle East and Africa’s business sectors.
5. Mike Adenuga (Nigeria) – $6.8B
Mike Adenuga, born in 1953, is Nigeria’s second-richest man and a major player in telecommunications, oil, and gas. Adenuga’s rise to wealth began in the early 2000s when he founded Globacom, Nigeria’s second-largest mobile telecommunications company. Globacom’s success was driven by its aggressive pricing and innovative business model, which allowed it to rapidly capture market share in Nigeria.
In addition to his telecommunications business, Adenuga is heavily invested in the oil sector, with his company, Conoil, producing and exploring oil fields across Nigeria. His wealth of $6.8 billion is a result of his diverse business interests, which span telecommunications, oil, real estate, and banking. Adenuga is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Nigerian business.
6. Abdulsamad Rabiu (Nigeria) – $5.1B
Abdulsamad Rabiu is another Nigerian entrepreneur who has made a fortune through cement and industrial ventures. Born in 1960, Rabiu is the founder of BUA Group, a conglomerate with interests in cement, sugar, and other industries. His wealth skyrocketed after BUA Cement went public in 2020, helping Rabiu become one of Africa’s wealthiest individuals.
Rabiu’s cement company, BUA Cement, has become one of the largest producers in Nigeria. Also, his other ventures in sugar production and real estate contributed significantly to his wealth. With a net worth of $5.1 billion, Rabiu is one of the most prominent businessmen in Nigeria.
7. Naguib Sawiris (Egypt) – $5B
Naguib Sawiris, brother to Nassef Sawiris, is a telecommunications magnate and one of Egypt’s richest individuals. Born in 1954, Naguib made his fortune through his ownership of Orascom Telecom, a company he founded in the early 1990s. Orascom Telecom was one of the first companies in the region to offer mobile phone services to customers in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Sawiris later sold his stake in Orascom to Russia’s VimpelCom for over $6 billion, but he continues to be involved in the telecommunications industry, as well as in other sectors like construction, media, and technology. His wealth, now estimated at $5 billion, reflects his diversified investments and entrepreneurial spirit.
8. Mohamed Mansour (Egypt) – $3.4B
Mohamed Mansour, born in 1948, is a major business tycoon in Egypt. He made his fortune through his company, Mansour Group, which is involved in industries like automotive, retail, and consumer goods.
The company holds the exclusive rights to distribute brands like General Motors and McDonald’s in Egypt and other parts of Africa.
Mansour’s business empire also includes significant investments in real estate, construction, and agribusiness. His wealth, currently estimated at $3.4 billion, is a result of his ability to diversify and expand into different industries, establishing a strong presence across Africa and the Middle East.
9. Koos Bekker (South Africa) – $3.4B
Koos Bekker is a South African entrepreneur who built his wealth primarily through media and technology. As the chairman of Naspers, a global consumer internet group, Bekker grew the company into one of the largest media firms in the world.
Naspers made its fortune by investing in the Chinese Internet giant, Tencent, which has become one of the largest tech companies globally.
Bekker’s strategy of investing in high-growth tech companies has paid off, and today, his net worth stands at $3.4 billion.
10. Patrice Motsepe (South Africa) – $3B