South African businessman Johann Rupert has ousted Aliko Dangote as the richest man in Africa. It is the second time the South African is replacing the richest black billionaire as the wealthiest man in Africa.
Dagonte has held the coveted spot for more than a decade but lost the spot in Johann Rupert in June 2023, according to Forbes’ real-time estimates of their net worth. At the time, Rupert had a real-time net worth of $11.8 billion while Dangote had $10.8 billion. However, it did not take long for Dangote to reclaim the top spot.
Fast forward to August 2024, Rupert has inched a little higher than Aliko Dangote on Bloomberg’s Billionaire index to become the continent’s richest fellow.
He has a current net worth of $13.6 billion, placing him two spot higher than Dangote, who ironically also has a net worth of $13.6 billion. However, Johanne Rupert and Family is listed as the world’s 154th richest person, while Dangote is listed in the 156th position, as per Bloomberg’s real-time billionaire index.
“Another fundamental difference between these two titans is their performances so far. Dangote’s last change in valuation came in at +$27 million, while his year-to-date (YTD) change was a staggering -1.53 billion. For Joahnna Rupert, his last change in valuation came in at +$134 million, while his year-to-date (YTD) change was a staggering +$1.21 billion,” according to Business Insider.
Here are six things to know about Rupert:
Primary source of wealth
Rupert’s main source of wealth comes from luxury goods; he is the chairman of Swiss luxury goods firm, Compagnie Financiere Richemont – known for the two top brands, Cartier and Montblanc. The company was formed in 1998 through a spinoff of assets from his father’s company, Rembrandt Group Limited.