NEW YORK/United States of America: Aliko Dangote, Nigerian richest man, with his $17 billion net worth had made him the only person in Africa and the only member of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index from one of the 60 poorest countries.
Dangote, 61, is among just a few Nigerian billionaires, most of whom accrued their wealth by coming into possession of lucrative oil blocks or, in the case of telecom magnate Mike Adenuga, providing services to a fast-growing population.
Adenuga, the nation’s second-richest person, owns mobile phone network Globacom Ltd., with 45 million subscribers. He’s worth $2.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg wealth index.
South Africa is the only other country in the sub-Saharan part of the continent with any representatives on the Bloomberg wealth ranking. Its three wealthiest citizens — De Beers heir Nicky Oppenheimer, luxury tycoon Johann Rupert and property and wholesaling mogul Natie Kirsh — are worth about $20 billion combined. All three have extensive holdings outside Africa.
There are just six Africans on the ranking of the world’s 500 richest people, including Egyptian brothers Nassef and Naguib Sawiris. By comparison, China, with a population that rivals Africa’s, has 44.
And though Dangote’s $17 billion fortune is a startling figure in such a poor country, his wealth in proportion to the size of Nigeria’s economy is on par with or even lower than the richest citizens of more developed countries.
