Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has made history as his net worth has surged past the $30 billion mark, making him the first African to earn that figure.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s wealth rose by $2.43 billion since January 1, 2025, bringing his total net worth to $30.5 billion as of October 26, 2025. The index, which tracks daily changes in the wealth and rankings of the world’s 500 richest people, places Dangote 73rd among the world’s 100 richest people.
Dangote controls Dangote Industries, a closely held conglomerate which owns sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest cement producer, Dangote Cement, and the continent’s largest oil refinery. It also has interests in sugar, salt, oil, fertilizer and packaged food.
Now ranked as the world’s 73rd richest person, his rise in fortune is largely thanks to the strong performance of his publicly traded companies, particularly Dangote Cement. Even though a chunk of his wealth is in his refinery, where he holds a 92.3 percent stake, it is his shares in publicly listed companies like Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, and Nascon that are contributing to the rise in his fortune.
The latest increase in his fortune also comes two weeks after Dangote Cement officially launched operations at its new 3-million-tonne-per-year cement plant in Attingué, Côte d’Ivoire.
The plant is one of the conglomerate’s largest facilities outside Nigeria, spanning 50 hectares. Côte d’Ivoire becomes the 11th African country to host a Dangote Cement production unit, adding to the group’s continental capacity of 55 million tonnes per year.
