Published: September 24, 2026 | Last updated: September 24, 2026
Key Facts
- Aliko Dangote of Nigeria leads Africa at $31.4 billion on Forbes' real-time tracker, up from $28.5 billion on Forbes Africa's fixed annual list published in March 2026 (Forbes, real-time tracker via Billionaires.Africa, September 1, 2026; Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, March 1, 2026)
- This ranking's top 4 countries, Nigeria, Eswatini, South Africa and Egypt, are drawn from Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker as of September 1, 2026, while positions 5 through 7 are drawn from Forbes Africa's fixed annual list dated March 1, 2026, because these were the next-highest countries not already represented in the top 4
- Nathan Kirsh of Eswatini ranks second continent-wide on the real-time tracker at $19.2 billion, despite being excluded from Forbes Africa's own curated annual list because his residence and primary business sit outside Africa (Forbes, real-time tracker via Billionaires.Africa, September 1, 2026)
- Issad Rebrab of Algeria is the highest-ranked individual among the three countries sourced from the March 2026 annual list, at $3.6 billion (Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, March 1, 2026)
- Strive Masiyiwa of Zimbabwe and Mohammed Dewji of Tanzania are tied at $2.1 billion each on the March 2026 annual list, the only tie in this ranking (Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, March 1, 2026)
| Rank | Country | Wealthiest Individual | Net Worth | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | Aliko Dangote | $31.4 billion | September 1, 2026 | Forbes real-time tracker |
| 2 | Eswatini | Nathan Kirsh | $19.2 billion | September 1, 2026 | Forbes real-time tracker |
| 3 | South Africa | Johann Rupert & family | $17.5 billion | September 1, 2026 | Forbes real-time tracker |
| 4 | Egypt | Nassef Sawiris | $9.6 billion | September 1, 2026 | Forbes real-time tracker |
| 5 | Algeria | Issad Rebrab & family | $3.6 billion | March 1, 2026 | Forbes Africa annual list |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | Strive Masiyiwa | $2.1 billion | March 1, 2026 | Forbes Africa annual list |
| 7 | Tanzania | Mohammed Dewji | $2.1 billion | March 1, 2026 | Forbes Africa annual list |
1. Nigeria
$31.4 billion, held by Aliko Dangote (Forbes real-time billionaires tracker, via Billionaires.Africa, September 1, 2026). Dangote owns 87.45% of Dangote Cement and 92.3% of his Lagos oil refinery, the largest single privately held asset on the continent. He has led Forbes' annual continental ranking for fifteen consecutive years, and his real-time net worth has climbed roughly $2.9 billion since Forbes Africa's fixed annual list published in March 2026.
2. Eswatini
$19.2 billion, held by Nathan Kirsh (Forbes real-time billionaires tracker, via Billionaires.Africa, September 1, 2026). Kirsh began in southern African milling before building Jetro Holdings, whose Restaurant Depot and Jetro Cash & Carry chains supply independent restaurants across the United States today. He lives in London, and almost all of his wealth and business activity sits outside Africa, which is why Forbes Africa's own curated annual list excludes him even though the real-time global tracker, which attributes billionaires by citizenship, includes him.
3. South Africa
$17.5 billion, held by Johann Rupert and family (Forbes real-time billionaires tracker, via Billionaires.Africa, September 1, 2026). Rupert chairs Compagnie Financière Richemont, the Swiss luxury group behind Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc and IWC, and also controls the South African investment firm Remgro. He has gained roughly $1.4 billion since Forbes Africa's March 2026 annual list.
4. Egypt
$9.6 billion, held by Nassef Sawiris (Forbes real-time billionaires tracker, via Billionaires.Africa, September 1, 2026). Sawiris runs OCI, the fertilizer and chemicals group built from his family's original construction business, and holds one of the largest individual stakes in Adidas. He co-owns English football club Aston Villa with American investor Wes Edens. His net worth is unchanged from Forbes Africa's March 2026 annual list, the only person in this ranking whose figure is identical across both dates.
5. Algeria
$3.6 billion, held by Issad Rebrab and family (Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, March 1, 2026). Rebrab founded Cevital, Algeria's largest privately held company and operator of one of the world's largest sugar refineries. He is Algeria's only Forbes-recognized billionaire. A 2023 Algerian court ruling barred him from exercising commercial or management duties at Cevital, though the company's ownership structure remains intact. This figure comes from Forbes Africa's fixed annual list rather than the real-time tracker, because Algeria does not appear among the countries represented in Forbes' real-time top 10 for Africa.
6. Zimbabwe
$2.1 billion, held by Strive Masiyiwa (Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, March 1, 2026). Masiyiwa overcame years of government opposition to launch Econet Wireless Zimbabwe in 1998, and now holds stakes across telecom, fintech and fiber infrastructure spanning multiple African countries. He also serves on Netflix's board. He is tied with Tanzania's Mohammed Dewji for this position on the March 2026 annual list, the only tie in this ranking.
7. Tanzania
$2.1 billion, held by Mohammed Dewji (Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, March 1, 2026). Dewji runs METL, a conglomerate his father founded in the 1970s that now spans textiles, flour milling and edible oils across 10 African countries. He is Tanzania's only Forbes-recognized billionaire and has pledged to donate at least half his fortune through the Giving Pledge.
Which African country has the wealthiest individual?
Nigeria, through Aliko Dangote, at $31.4 billion on Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker as of September 1, 2026. On Forbes Africa's fixed annual list from March 2026, his figure was $28.5 billion; either way, he ranks first.
Why does this ranking mix a September figure with a March figure?
The top 4 countries in this ranking, Nigeria, Eswatini, South Africa and Egypt, are the only countries represented among Africa's ten wealthiest individuals on Forbes' real-time tracker as of September 1, 2026. To reach 7 countries, positions 5 through 7 are filled using the next-highest countries from Forbes Africa's separate, fixed annual list published in March 2026. Each row states its exact source and date so the two are never presented as directly comparable snapshots.
Why does Eswatini appear here when it wasn't on past Forbes Africa lists?
Forbes' real-time global tracker attributes billionaires by citizenship. Forbes Africa's curated annual list applies a stricter rule, excluding people whose residence and primary business sit outside Africa. Nathan Kirsh, who lives in London and runs a US-based business, is included under the first methodology and excluded under the second.
Are the two Forbes sources directly comparable?
Not precisely. The real-time tracker reflects continuous, moment-to-moment changes in share prices and exchange rates, while the annual list is a fixed snapshot calculated once, at the close of business on March 1, 2026. A person's figure can differ between the two simply because time has passed, not because of any change in methodology for how their wealth is calculated.
Why isn't Morocco included in this top 7?
Morocco's wealthiest individual, Othman Benjelloun, was worth $1.7 billion on Forbes Africa's March 2026 annual list, the eighth-highest figure once Nigeria, Eswatini, South Africa and Egypt are set aside. That places Morocco just outside this specific top 7.
Data Sources
- Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker, as reported by Billionaires.Africa in "The Top 10 Richest People In Africa | September 2026," published September 1, 2026. Used for ranks 1 through 4. https://www.billionaires.africa/2026/09/01/the-top-10-richest-people-in-africa-september-2026/
- Forbes Africa's Richest People 2026, published by Forbes.com on March 9, 2026 and republished by Forbes Africa on April 7, 2026, with net worths calculated at the close of business on March 1, 2026. Used for ranks 5 through 7. https://www.forbes.com/lists/africa-billionaires/
Methodology
This ranking measures each country's wealthiest individual, drawing on two distinct Forbes products rather than one. Ranks 1 through 4 (Nigeria, Eswatini, South Africa, Egypt) reflect Forbes' real-time global billionaires tracker as of September 1, 2026, which attributes each billionaire to a country by citizenship. Ranks 5 through 7 (Algeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania) reflect Forbes Africa's separate, fixed annual list published in March 2026, which additionally requires that a billionaire reside in Africa or run their primary business there.
This mixing was a deliberate choice, not an oversight: the September real-time tracker's top 10 for Africa spans only 4 countries, so extending this ranking to 7 countries required drawing on the annual list for the next-highest countries not already represented. Each table row and each ranked item states its specific source and date individually, so no figure in this article should be read as directly comparable in time or methodology to a figure from the other source. Readers wanting a single-source, single-date ranking should refer to either the 4-country real-time version or the 7-country all-March-2026 version of this ranking published separately.
Zimbabwe and Tanzania are tied at $2.1 billion for positions 6 and 7; the order shown reflects Forbes Africa's own published sequencing and is not an independent tiebreak by this publication.
