Business

With $15.6bn Wealth, Bloomberg Rates Aliko Dangote Richest Man in Africa

President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote remains the richest man in Africa, despite the volatility of Nigerian currency against the dollar.

Bloomberg in its daily top billionaire lists, released on Tuesday, revealed that Dangote with a wealth of $15.6 billion topped other Africans in the Index.

Dangote, who remains the richest man in Africa for the 12th year running, was the only Nigerian on the list of the top 500 billionaires, as released by Bloomberg.

Other Africans listed in the latest top 500 world billionaires list for the year 2023 included Johann Rupert and family of South Africa, now worth $13.3 billion, while Nicky Oppenheimer of South Africa, Nassef Sawiris of Egypt, Natie Kirsh of South Africa, and Naguib Sawiris are also worth $9.0 billion, $7.47 billion, $7.37billion and $5.93 billion respectively. These are the only five other Africans that made the list.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people. In calculating net worth, Bloomberg News strives to provide the most transparent calculations available, and each individual billionaire profile contains a detailed analysis of how that person’s fortune is tallied.

The index is a dynamic measure of personal wealth based on changes in markets, the economy and Bloomberg reporting.

Each net worth figure is updated every business day after the close of trading in New York. Stakes in publicly traded companies are valued using the share’s most recent closing price. Valuations are converted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates.

Ellon Musk and Bernard Arnault were listed as the richest in the world with $219billion and $194 billion respectively in their kitties while Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates followed respectively with $151 billion and $130 billion. Larry Ellison was the fifth richest with $130 billion on the world’s billionaires’ chart.

Bloomberg is a global information and technology company, that connect decision makers to a dynamic network of data, people and ideas – “accurately delivering business and financial information, news and insights to customers around the world” Bloomberg L.P. provides financial software tools such as an analytics and equity trading platform, data services, and news to financial companies and organisations through the Bloomberg Terminal.’

Africa’s richest man, with his new worth of $15.6 billion, controls Dangote Industries, a closely-held conglomerate.

The Lagos, Nigeria-based company owns sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest cement producer, Dangote Cement. It also has interests in sugar, salt, fertiliser and packaged foods. Dangote also recently commissioned the $19bn petroleum refinery plant, which is now Africa’s largest refinery.

Aliko Dangote was also recently named as among the topmost charitable man in the World by Richtopia, a digital periodical that covers business, economics, and financial news, based in the United Kingdom. This recognition came after he endowed his foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) to the tune of $1.25 billion.

Aliko Dangote started his Foundation in 1981, with a mission to enhance opportunities for social change through strategic investments that improve health and well-being, promote quality education, and broaden economic empowerment opportunities.

Aliko Dangote Foundation was however incorporated in 1994 as a charity in Lagos, Nigeria. 20 years later, the Foundation has become the largest private Foundation in sub–Saharan Africa, with the largest endowment by a single African donor. The primary focus of Aliko Dangote Foundation is health and nutrition, supported by wrap-around interventions in education, empowerment, and humanitarian relief.

Goddy Egene