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Wealth & Power

Top 10 Richest People in Africa in 2026

Aliko Dangote is Africa's richest person for the 15th year running at $28.5 billion on Forbes' 2026 list, ahead of Johann Rupert ($16.1 billion) and Abdulsamad Rabiu ($11.2 billion).

,   and  Mamode Kavita
6 min read
Top 10 Richest People in Africa in 2026
Photo Credit: File

Published: September 30, 2026 | Last updated: September 30, 2026

Key Facts

  • Africa's 23 billionaires are worth a combined $126.7 billion, up 21% from 2025, and the top 10 account for about $100.2 billion of it (Forbes Africa, April 7, 2026; our calculation)
  • Abdulsamad Rabiu was the biggest gainer, with his fortune up 120% (+$6.1 billion) to $11.2 billion, lifting him from 6th to 3rd (Forbes Africa, April 7, 2026)
  • The top 10 splits between South Africa (four), Nigeria (three) and Egypt (three), and no woman appears on the list (Forbes Africa, April 7, 2026)
  • Only four of the 23 billionaires are poorer than a year ago: Mike Adenuga, Mohammed Dewji, Anas Sefrioui and Femi Otedola (Forbes Africa, April 7, 2026)
  • Since the list, Forbes' real-time tracker put Dangote at $51.3 billion on September 14, 2026, while Bloomberg's index had him near $35 billion (Leadership, September 2026)
Rank Name Country Net Worth (US$) Source of Wealth Rank in 2025 As of
1 Aliko Dangote Nigeria $28.5 billion Cement, sugar, oil refining 1 March 1, 2026
2 Johann Rupert and family South Africa $16.1 billion Luxury goods 2 March 1, 2026
3 Abdulsamad Rabiu Nigeria $11.2 billion Cement, sugar 6 March 1, 2026
4 Nicky Oppenheimer and family South Africa $10.6 billion Diamonds 3 March 1, 2026
5 Nassef Sawiris Egypt $9.6 billion Construction, investments 4 March 1, 2026
6 Mike Adenuga Nigeria $6.5 billion Telecom, oil 5 March 1, 2026
7 Naguib Sawiris Egypt $5.6 billion Telecom 7 March 1, 2026
8 Patrice Motsepe South Africa $4.3 billion Mining 10 March 1, 2026
9 Mohamed Mansour Egypt $4.0 billion Diversified 8 March 1, 2026
10 Michiel Le Roux South Africa $3.8 billion Banking 12 March 1, 2026

Koos Bekker of South Africa and Issad Rebrab of Algeria are just outside the top 10, each at $3.6 billion.

Selected Details About Each Person

1. Aliko Dangote

$28.5 billion, up $4.6 billion on the year. Dangote owns 85% of Dangote Cement, Africa's largest cement producer with capacity of 48.6 million tonnes a year across 10 countries, and his refinery began operating in early 2024. Cement shares rose nearly 69% in the year to the list date, and Dangote Cement doubled its profit to a record ₦1 trillion in 2025. His fortune has since been revalued sharply: Forbes' tracker showed $51.3 billion on September 14, 2026, after a $2.5 billion private placement in the refinery. His refinery IPO opened that day and closes on October 13, while Bloomberg's index had him at $35.3 billion.

2. Johann Rupert and family

$16.1 billion, up from $14 billion. Rupert chairs Swiss luxury group Richemont, owner of Cartier and Montblanc, and owns 7% of Remgro and 26% of Reinet. He briefly overtook Dangote on Bloomberg's index in August 2024. Bloomberg's September 2026 index values him at $18.9 billion, second in Africa.

3. Abdulsamad Rabiu

$11.2 billion, up 120% from $5.1 billion. Rabiu founded BUA Group, and his holding in BUA Cement, in which he owns 98.2%, saw its shares rise 135% as the Nigerian stock exchange climbed 81% to record highs. He also owns 95% of BUA Foods. Bloomberg's index puts his fortune at $18.5 billion as of late September 2026, third in Africa.

4. Nicky Oppenheimer and family

$10.6 billion, up from $10.4 billion. Oppenheimer sold his 40% of De Beers to Anglo American for $5.1 billion in cash in 2012, ending his family's 85-year control of the diamond trade. He started Fireblade Aviation in 2014 and owns at least 720 square miles of conservation land across four countries.

5. Nassef Sawiris

$9.6 billion, unchanged from 2025, the only African billionaire to break even. He owns a stake of nearly 6% in Adidas, was set to become its chairman at the May shareholder meeting, and co-owns Aston Villa. He also runs fertilizer producer OCI and holds Orascom Construction.

6. Mike Adenuga

$6.5 billion, down from $6.8 billion. Adenuga built Globacom, Nigeria's third-largest mobile operator with more than 17 million subscribers, and oil producer Conoil Producing, which operates six Niger Delta blocks. He owns 74% of Conoil and built the Glo-1 submarine cable to the UK.

7. Naguib Sawiris

$5.6 billion, up from $5 billion. His fortune comes from telecom: he sold Orascom Telecom in 2011 to VimpelCom (now Veon). He chairs Orascom TMT Investments, which holds stakes in an Egyptian asset manager and Italian internet company Italiaonline, and developed the Silversands resort in Grenada.

8. Patrice Motsepe

$4.3 billion, up from $3 billion. Motsepe founded African Rainbow Minerals and became the first Black African on the Forbes list in 2008. He also runs private equity firm African Rainbow Capital, holds a stake in Sanlam, owns Mamelodi Sundowns and presides over the Confederation of African Football.

9. Mohamed Mansour

$4.0 billion, up from $3.4 billion. Mansour oversees Mansour Group, which employs 60,000 people and holds exclusive Egyptian distribution rights for General Motors and Caterpillar. He served as Egypt's transport minister from 2006 to 2009, holds British as well as Egyptian citizenship and lives in London. His brothers Youssef and Yasseen are also billionaires.

10. Michiel Le Roux

$3.8 billion, up from $2.2 billion, a rise from 12th place. Le Roux founded Capitec Bank in 2001 and owns about 11% of it. Capitec's shares jumped 57%, outperforming the Johannesburg exchange's 45% rise as gold and platinum prices hit new highs.

Quick Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About this Topic

Who is the richest person in Africa?

Aliko Dangote, at $28.5 billion on Forbes' 2026 Africa list. Live trackers now show much higher figures: Forbes put him at $51.3 billion on September 14, and Bloomberg's index showed about $35 billion in late September.

Why do Forbes and Bloomberg give different figures?

Forbes updates its estimates frequently during trading hours, while Bloomberg values private assets periodically. Forbes also revalued Dangote's refinery after a $2.5 billion private placement, which Bloomberg had not adopted. Their lists cover different people, too: Bloomberg has ranked South Africa-born Nathan Kirsh among Africa's richest (at $15.2 billion earlier this year), but Forbes excludes him because he operates from London and has his business in the US and UK.

Which countries have the most billionaires?

South Africa has seven of the 23, followed by Egypt (five), Nigeria (four) and Morocco (three).

Are there any women or younger billionaires on the list?

There are no women. All but one billionaire is over 60: Tanzania's Mohammed Dewji, aged 50, is the exception. Fourteen of the 23 (61%) are self-made.

How did African fortunes change over the past year?

The 23 billionaires added a combined $20.3 billion, helped by rallying stock markets and more stable currencies. Only four are poorer: Adenuga, Dewji, Sefrioui and Otedola.

Data Sources

Methodology

This ranking orders African billionaires by net worth on Forbes' 2026 Africa's Richest People list. Net worths were calculated from stock prices and currency exchange rates at the close of business on March 1, 2026, and changes are measured from Forbes' 2025 list, published in March 2025. Private businesses are valued by applying price-to-sales, price-to-earnings or similar ratios from comparable public companies to estimated revenue or profit. The list covers African citizens who live in Africa or have their primary business there, so it excludes Mo Ibrahim, Nathan Kirsh, Paul Van Zuydam and Africa-born billionaires based abroad. Families are counted together where Forbes does so, and the Mansour and Sawiris brothers appear individually. Net worth figures move daily with markets, and the Dangote refinery IPO, open until October 13, 2026, could change the numbers materially, so live trackers will disagree with this March snapshot. All figures in US dollars.

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