Folorunsho Alakija
The 67-year-old was born into a wealthy, polygamous Nigerian family. After being a secretary at the International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, she quit her job in the early 80s and proceeded to study Fashion design in England. When she returned to Nigeria, she started Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label which had customers including the wife of former Nigerian president Ibrahim Babangida. With her closeness to power, Alakija acquired an oil prospecting license, which has been the foundation of her wealth today. Africa’s second richest woman who has a fortune estimated at $1.7 billion, is the vice chair of Famfa Oil, a Nigerian oil exploration company with a stake in Agbami oil field, a prolific offshore asset.
