The World’s Richest Billionaires—Who Just Happen to be Black

Achieving billionaire status is indeed a feat, but these individuals make it look easy. A number of world’s wealthiest men and women today are black, proud, and some of them, African.

These black billionaires built their empires independently, from investments in oil, television, and (would you believe it) flour.

In order of their net worth, the world’s richest people of color are:

Aliko Dangote (Nigeria) Net Worth: $13.8 billion
Africa’s richest individual also happens to be the world’s richest man of color. Dangote started trading commodities at 21 years of age. He’s built his empire from the ground up, with the source of his success in Dangote Cement, and other commodities including flour and sugar. Dangote recently donated $18 million to a government program, which gives loans to small businesses in Nigeria. 

 

Mohammed Al-Amoudi (Ethiopia/Saudi Arabia) Net Worth: $12.3 billion
Mohammed Al-Amoudi, product of a Saudi father and Ethiopian mother, chose to invest his riches in Africa. Al-Amoudi currently owns a 5-star hotel, and massive farm (which produces staple foods from Africa for export to Saudi Arabia). The majority of his wealth comes from investments in oil, which includes Svenska Petroleum Exploration, and Preem, a refinery.

 

Patrice Motsepe (South Africa) Net Worth: $3.3billion
Soweto produced this mining mogul. Before he made it big with mining though, he was a lawyer. Mostepe already made his name by becoming the first black man to become a partner at the law firm, Bowman Gilfillan. Eventually, he got into gold mining and built an empire out of mining gold, platinum, and everything valuable that comes out of the ground. Today, he owns African Rainbow Minerals, a 5% stake in Sanlam, and a South African football team. 

Oprah Winfrey (USA) Net Worth: $2.7billion
She’s capable of putting Santa Claus out of business, and she’s still loaded. Oprah is arguably the world’s most generous celebrity, yet she still holds the title as the richest black woman on the planet. And her recently launched Oprah Winfrey Network is set to keep her the title.

 

 

 

Mike Adenuga (Nigeria) Net Worth: $2 billion
The owner of Globacom, West Africa’s biggest telecommunications co., built his empire from landing mining and building contracts. His empire now includes investments in the banking, real estate, and oil industries.

 

 

 

 

Mo Ibrahim (UK) Net Worth: $1.8 billion
Originally of Sudan, Ibrahim is founder of Celtel, a communications company with massive holdings in Africa and the Middle East. He sold it in 2005, making a $1.4 billion dollar profit from the deal. Ibrahim then founded Satya Capital, and created the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which works to improve leadership in African countries. This self-made billionaire now lives in London.

Source: Forbes.com