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Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote shows William Ruto the refinery Kenya wants to copy
William Ruto toured Aliko Dangote's Lekki refinery on Sept. 25, five days before breaking ground on a $17 billion Kenyan refinery at Lamu.
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Nigerian tycoon AbdulWasiu Sowami's Ardova is buying Africa's largest CNG producer
A consortium led by AbdulWasiu Sowami's Ardova will buy 100% of Powergas, one of Africa's largest producers of compressed natural gas.
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote shows William Ruto the refinery Kenya wants to copy
William Ruto toured Aliko Dangote's Lekki refinery on Sept. 25, five days before breaking ground on a $17 billion Kenyan refinery at Lamu.
Nigerian tycoon Orji Uzor Kalu and family hold $20 million of US property, report says
A new report says 61 Nigerian officials hold 284 US properties worth $271 million, including more than $20 million linked to Orji Uzor Kalu.
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In 2002 Mzi Khumalo paid $15.5 million for the Zimbabwean gold mines Lonmin no longer wanted. Within a decade they produced about 100,000 ounces a year and Metallon was the country's largest gold miner. By 2019 the group owed roughly $200 million. The full arc of a contested career.
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Wealth Intelligence: The Cost of Being Right — Strive Masiyiwa Escaped a Market That Undervalued Him, and the New One Marked Him Down 31% in Four Months
Strive Masiyiwa left an exchange that priced Econet at $239 million against $779 million of revenue, and listed its towers, power and property at $1 billion instead. Four months later InfraCo had lost a third. What the $309 million says about his holdings, and about being right too early.
Billionaire Aziz Akhannouch's party loses Morocco's election and a third of its seats
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Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris is merging OCI and Orascom into one Abu Dhabi company
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Algerian billionaire Issad Rebrab is now barred from running even his smallest companies
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Nigerian tycoon AbdulWasiu Sowami's Ardova is buying Africa's largest CNG producer
A consortium led by AbdulWasiu Sowami's Ardova will buy 100% of Powergas, one of Africa's largest producers of compressed natural gas.
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote shows William Ruto the refinery Kenya wants to copy
William Ruto toured Aliko Dangote's Lekki refinery on Sept. 25, five days before breaking ground on a $17 billion Kenyan refinery at Lamu.
Nigerian tycoon Orji Uzor Kalu and family hold $20 million of US property, report says
A new report says 61 Nigerian officials hold 284 US properties worth $271 million, including more than $20 million linked to Orji Uzor Kalu.
Aliko Dangote's refinery lifts Nigeria's petrol exports sixfold to $750 million
Nigeria earned $750 million from petrol exports in the first half of 2026, a sixfold rise that analysts credit to Dangote's refinery and the Iran war.
Nigerian auto billionaire Michael Ade-Ojo wants his university to stop relying on his money
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Nigerian businessman Adebisi Adebutu takes 86% of Chappal after $100 million rescue
Two years ago Chappal Energies bought Equinor out of Nigeria for $1.2 billion. Its founder is now in detention and a minority shareholder who petitioned the anti-graft agency owns 86 per cent of the company, after putting in $100 million to stop it going under.
Ghana's wealthy Adjei family owns 86% of Kasapreko, a stake now worth $540 million
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President Paul Kagame says Rwanda wants a stake in Dangote's $16 billion Kenyan refinery
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Aliko Dangote offers Kenya a $500 million stake in $20 billion Lamu refinery as September groundbreaking nears
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Aliko Dangote plans $17 billion refinery on Kenya's Lamu Island to end East Africa's fuel imports
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South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth promised islanders $3.20 a day and paid 46 cents
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South African tycoon Mzi Khumalo turned $15.5 million into Zimbabwe's largest gold miner
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South African tycoon Iqbal Survé's side loses a bid for the big banks' compliance files
The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a 2024 order forcing the Financial Intelligence Centre to hand over confidential bank records.
Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa joins Amazon and Google in an African languages AI pact
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South African tycoon Chris Seabrooke donates $12.6 million to Wits University in Sabvest shares
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Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa's InfraCo has lost a third of its value since March
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Somali tycoon Amina Moghe Hersi's Atiak Sugar Factory has eaten $204 million and produced nothing in years. Uganda is demanding answers.
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Nigerian tycoon AbdulWasiu Sowami's Ardova is buying Africa's largest CNG producer
A consortium led by AbdulWasiu Sowami's Ardova will buy 100% of Powergas, one of Africa's largest producers of compressed natural gas.
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote shows William Ruto the refinery Kenya wants to copy
William Ruto toured Aliko Dangote's Lekki refinery on Sept. 25, five days before breaking ground on a $17 billion Kenyan refinery at Lamu.
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Nigerian tycoon Orji Uzor Kalu and family hold $20 million of US property, report says
A new report says 61 Nigerian officials hold 284 US properties worth $271 million, including more than $20 million linked to Orji Uzor Kalu.
African Wealth Briefing — Fri., Sept. 25, 2026
Nigeria earned $750 million from petrol exports in the first half of the year, a sixfold rise analysts credit to Dangote's refinery. And Mark Shuttleworth's foundation promised the people of Príncipe up to $3.20 a day to protect their forest.
The Inside Story: Twelve Years on Robben Island, Then a Gold Empire — How Mzi Khumalo Turned $15.5 Million Into Zimbabwe's Largest Gold Producer, and Then Lost It
In 2002 Mzi Khumalo paid $15.5 million for the Zimbabwean gold mines Lonmin no longer wanted. Within a decade they produced about 100,000 ounces a year and Metallon was the country's largest gold miner. By 2019 the group owed roughly $200 million. The full arc of a contested career.
Deep-Dive Report: The $1.2 Billion Handover — How Chappal Energies Bought Equinor Out of Nigeria, Ran Out of Money, and Ended Up Owned by the Shareholder Who Reported Its Founder
In December 2024 Chappal Energies paid up to $1.2 billion for Equinor's entire Nigerian business. Less than two years later its founder is in custody, a minority shareholder holds 86 per cent after a $100 million rescue, and the lesson for every Nigerian independent is about financing, not ambition.
Wealth Intelligence: The Cost of Being Right — Strive Masiyiwa Escaped a Market That Undervalued Him, and the New One Marked Him Down 31% in Four Months
Strive Masiyiwa left an exchange that priced Econet at $239 million against $779 million of revenue, and listed its towers, power and property at $1 billion instead. Four months later InfraCo had lost a third. What the $309 million says about his holdings, and about being right too early.
South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth promised islanders $3.20 a day and paid 46 cents
Mark Shuttleworth's foundation offers Príncipe residents up to $290 a quarter to protect nature. One recipient's first payment was about $42.
Aliko Dangote's refinery lifts Nigeria's petrol exports sixfold to $750 million
Nigeria earned $750 million from petrol exports in the first half of 2026, a sixfold rise that analysts credit to Dangote's refinery and the Iran war.
Mark Zuckerberg passes Sergey Brin to become world's fifth richest at $256.8 billion
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Swedish billionaire Stefan Persson's family nears the 90% needed to take H&M private
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Canadian billionaire Eric Sprott faces a Delaware suit over a $1.2 billion silver windfall
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South African tycoon Mzi Khumalo turned $15.5 million into Zimbabwe's largest gold miner
Mzi Khumalo bought Lonmin's Zimbabwean gold mines for $15.5 million in 2002 and built Metallon into the country's biggest gold producer.
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South African tycoon Iqbal Survé's side loses a bid for the big banks' compliance files
The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a 2024 order forcing the Financial Intelligence Centre to hand over confidential bank records.