Dangote still richest African in new report

• …As fortune increases by $3bn

By Stanley Onyekwere

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has significantly moved up in the World billionaires’ list as his fortune increased to $17.8 billion as against last year’s $14.8 billion to emerge as the only Nigerian in the Bloomberg’s yearly top billionaire lists.

Other Africans on the lists are three South Africans. They are Johann Rupert and family, worth $10.1 billion; Nicky Oppenheimer with a worth of $7.80 billion and Natie Kirsh who is reputed to worth $7.15 billion. Nassef Sawiris from Egypt is also among African billionaires with a worth of $6.93 billion, a statement from Dangote’s office in Lagos said yesterday.

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.

Dangote, who remains the richest man in Africa for the 8th year running, was the only Nigerian on the list of the top 120 billionaires, as released on Monday by Bloomberg in its yearly billionaires list.

Ellon Musk and jeff Bezos are the richest in the world with $194 billion in their respective kitty while Bernard Arnault and Bill Gates followed respectively with $174 billion and $148 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was the fifth richest with $135 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 improved worth of $17.8 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.

It would be recalled that Aliko Dangote, was also recently named as the sixth most 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 wellbeing, 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.