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Rwandan President Paul Kagame tells 2,800 business leaders Africa is rich in everything except leverage and must learn to say no
Paul Kagame opened the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali by attacking minerals coercion and telling 2,800 business leaders Africa must stop waiting to be ripped off.
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Meet Claude Wilfrid Etoka, the Brazzaville tire trader who built a $500 million oil empire across Africa
Claude Wilfrid Etoka began importing tires in Brazzaville with a single company. Three decades later, he controls a $500 million oil trading empire across Africa.
Billionaire Robert F. Smith's Vista Equity opens first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi
Robert F. Smith has opened Vista Equity Partners' first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi, positioning his $107 billion software firm to tap Gulf sovereign wealth capital.
Patrice Motsepe's GoTyme Bank just made every one of its 2,000 employees a shareholder
Patrice Motsepe's GoTyme Bank has launched a share ownership scheme worth north of R100 million (roughly $5.5 million), giving all 2,000 employees across its global operations a direct stake in the business.
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The Inside Story: Kenny Fihla’s Bet — What Absa’s Rothschild, Standard Bank and Deutsche Bank Hiring Spree Tells Us About the South African Push to Become Africa’s Deal Bank
Kenny Fihla has raided Rothschild, Standard Bank, and Deutsche Bank to rebuild Absa's senior bench. What the most aggressive hiring spree in African banking tells us about the South African push for deal leadership.
Wealth Intelligence: The Kenyatta Family — Asset Architecture, the Nedbank Transformation, and the First Material Restructuring of the Family’s Institutional Wealth Since Independence
The May 4 NCBA disclosure has surfaced the Kenyatta family's institutional cap table for the first time. A full Wealth Intelligence map across banking, dairy, hospitality, media, land, and Northlands City.
The Inside Story: Mombasa Over Tanga — What Dangote’s Refinery Site Pivot Tells Us About East African Political Economy and the Race for the Continental Energy Hub
Aliko Dangote's decision to lean toward Mombasa over Tanzania's Tanga port for a $15-17 billion East African refinery is the public crystallization of a regional political rift building for weeks.
Meet Lotfi Nezzar, the Algerian businessman whose Spanish empire is estimated at 300 million euros
Algerian businessman Lotfi Nezzar, eldest son of late Major General Khaled Nezzar, holds a Spanish property and banking portfolio estimated at 300 million euros.
Billionaire Hisham Talaat Moustafa's TMG posts 24% Q1 profit jump to 110 million dollars
Hisham Talaat Moustafa's TMG posted a 24% Q1 profit rise to EGP 5.5 billion ($110 million) on strong Egyptian and Saudi real estate sales.
Algeria is trying to sell jailed tycoon Ali Haddad's Barcelona hotel but a mystery contract is blocking the deal
Algeria is attempting to sell a Barcelona hotel belonging to jailed billionaire Ali Haddad, but a pre-existing contract is blocking the transaction, French-language reporting confirms.
Ali Haddad built Algeria's biggest private construction empire, then lost it all at a border crossing
Ali Haddad built Algeria's biggest private construction company from nothing. A border crossing with two passports ended his entire empire in one night.
Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris reorganises his Orascom Construction holding as he builds a $50 billion Abu Dhabi infrastructure platform
Nassef Sawiris has reorganised his Orascom Construction holding between two NNS Group vehicles, leaving his total 43.95% stake unchanged as his Abu Dhabi platform takes shape.
Nassef Sawiris sold $12.8bn in cement and $11.6bn in fertilizers, and is now betting $50bn on America
Egypt's richest man has built and sold empires twice. Now he is staking $50 billion on American infrastructure from a new base in Abu Dhabi.
Billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens move to acquire French club FC Annecy
Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens' V-Sports is closing in on a controlling stake in French Ligue 2 club FC Annecy as Aston Villa's multi-club network moves into France.
Egypt's Hassan Allam wins $490 million Saudi Museum contract in Diriyah
Hassan Allam Construction and Saudi firm Albawani won a $490 million contract to build Saudi Arabia's national contemporary art museum in Diriyah.
Meet Claude Wilfrid Etoka, the Brazzaville tire trader who built a $500 million oil empire across Africa
Claude Wilfrid Etoka began importing tires in Brazzaville with a single company. Three decades later, he controls a $500 million oil trading empire across Africa.
Meet Patrice Talon, the cotton tycoon who became Benin's president and survived a 2025 coup attempt
Patrice Talon, Benin's eighth president since 2016, built a $400 million fortune in cotton before entering politics, and survived a coup attempt in December 2025.
Tony and Awele Elumelu make TIME100 Philanthropy list for seeding African entrepreneurs
Tony Elumelu and his wife Awele have made TIME's 2026 philanthropy list, recognized for seeding over 27,000 African entrepreneurs across all 54 countries on the continent.
Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu wins CEO of the Year at Africa CEO Forum and tells African leaders to get serious
Abdul Samad Rabiu was named CEO of the Year at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali and challenged African leaders to stop talking and start executing at scale.
Burkina Faso tycoon Appolinaire Compaoré, who made a fortune in tobacco, banking and telecoms, dies at 73
Appolinaire Compaoré, founder of Planor Afrique and one of Burkina Faso's most powerful businessmen, died on May 14 in Ouagadougou at 73.
Oando CEO Wale Tinubu says he would rather fire a loyal employee who stopped growing than one who makes mistakes
Oando Group CEO Wale Tinubu sparked debate by saying he would fire a loyal but stagnant employee rather than one who makes mistakes but keeps growing.
Aliko Dangote rejects NNPC bid to raise its stake in 20-billion-dollar Lekki refinery
Aliko Dangote has turned down NNPC's bid to lift its 7.25% stake in his $20 billion Lekki refinery, planning a public listing instead.
Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu says Africa is protecting the wrong people and his Mali sugar deal proves it
BUA Group chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu says African governments are protecting rent-seekers over producers, using a blocked Mali sugar deal as his evidence.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame tells 2,800 business leaders Africa is rich in everything except leverage and must learn to say no
Paul Kagame opened the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali by attacking minerals coercion and telling 2,800 business leaders Africa must stop waiting to be ripped off.
Tanzania's richest man Mohammed Dewji makes TIME100 Philanthropy list for tackling poverty in Africa
Robert F. Smith has taken Vista Equity Partners into Abu Dhabi, opening the $107 billion firm's first Middle East office inside the Abu Dhabi Global Market financial center.
Sunil Mittal bets $2.9 billion that Africa is the next decade's biggest telecoms story
Bharti Airtel's board has approved a $2.9 billion share swap lifting founder Sunil Mittal's stake in Airtel Africa to 79%, with 90% the eventual target.
Mauritius investigators accelerate the money trail probe linking Malagasy tycoon Mamy Ravatomanga to the HITA oil refinery scandal
Mauritius investigators are tracing new money trails connecting jailed Madagascar tycoon Mamy Ravatomanga to the HITA industrial oil refinery scandal.
Malagasy billionaire Hassanein Hiridjee's AXIAN secures 300 million euros from Proparco to expand energy infrastructure across Africa
Hassanein Hiridjee's AXIAN Group signed a 300 million euro deal with Proparco to accelerate digital and energy infrastructure across Africa over three years.
Tanzania's richest man Mohammed Dewji plans $50 million Mombasa plant to take on Coca-Cola in Kenya
Mohammed Dewji's MeTL Group plans a Sh6.5 billion ($50 million) soft drinks factory in Mombasa to sell Mo Cola at Sh15 a bottle, directly challenging Coca-Cola's dominance in East Africa's biggest economy.
Equity Group CEO James Mwangi says African governments must fix three structural barriers or risk losing the investment decade
Equity Group CEO James Mwangi told the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi that African governments must fix three structural barriers or risk losing the investment decade.
Aliko Dangote sits inside Macron's $27 billion Africa investment moment in Nairobi
Aliko Dangote joined more than 30 heads of state in Nairobi as French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a $27 billion African investment package.
Carlos Manuel de Sao Vicente built Angola's biggest oil insurance empire and lost it all to a nine-year prison sentence
Carlos de Sao Vicente built Angola's biggest oil insurance empire and became a dollar billionaire. A corruption conviction took everything he had built.
Patrice Motsepe's GoTyme Bank just made every one of its 2,000 employees a shareholder
Patrice Motsepe's GoTyme Bank has launched a share ownership scheme worth north of R100 million (roughly $5.5 million), giving all 2,000 employees across its global operations a direct stake in the business.
King Mswati's Tibiyo fund is struggling to pay workers at the Eswatini Observer, the newspaper it has owned since 1981
King Mswati III's Tibiyo TakaNgwane investment fund is struggling to pay workers at the Eswatini Observer, the newspaper it has fully owned since 1981.
Meet Shingi Mutasa, the Mutare-born commodity broker who quietly built one of Zimbabwe's most powerful business empires
Shingi Mutasa returned from London in 1980, joined his father's commodity business and quietly built one of Zimbabwe's most diversified private empires.
How Zandre Campos built one of Africa's most powerful investment firms
From Angola's oil corridors to boardrooms across three continents, Zandre Campos built one of Africa's most ambitious private equity firms from scratch.
Kenny Fihla is raiding Rothschild, Standard Bank and Deutsche Bank to rebuild Absa into Africa's deal bank
Kenny Fihla's Absa has hired Rothschild and Co's Giles Douglas as managing executive of its investment bank, continuing a rapid hiring push to rebuild the lender's corporate and deal-making capability across Africa.
Natie Kirsh started with £1,200 and a corn mill in Swaziland and became one of Africa's richest men at 94
Natie Kirsh started with a £1,200 inheritance and a corn mill in Swaziland. A $29 billion deal at 94 made him one of Africa's richest men.
Angolan banker Alvaro Sobrinho is back under scrutiny in Portugal over billions that vanished from BES Angola
CNN Portugal has renewed focus on Alvaro Sobrinho and the disappearance of billions from BES Angola, reviving scrutiny of one of Lusophone Africa's biggest financial scandals.
Saudi-Ethiopian Mohammed Al-Amoudi is worth $9 billion on Bloomberg but missing from the Forbes 2026 billionaires list and here is why
Mohammed Al-Amoudi is worth $9.12 billion on Bloomberg but does not appear on the Forbes 2026 billionaires list. Here is why.
How Djiboutian tycoon Abdourahman Boreh helped Dubai build a port empire in the Horn of Africa, then became its most inconvenient witness
Abdourahman Boreh brokered DP World's entry into Djibouti, collected fees from both sides, then fled into exile as the whole deal unravelled.
Dahabshiil founder Abdirashid Duale pledges $150,000 as drought deepens in northern Somalia
Dahabshiil pledged $150,000 for drought relief in northern Somalia, with founder Abdirashid Duale urging faster action as shortages spread.
Ethiopia’s richest man Mohammed Al-Amoudi brings Carrefour into Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s richest man, Mohammed Al-Amoudi, brings Carrefour to 13 Midroc stores, marking the retailer’s first physical presence in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s richest man Mohammed Al-Amoudi sees wealth rebound past $8.1 billion
Mohammed Al-Amoudi’s net worth rebounds to more than $8.1 billion after a $2.42 billion gain tied to his stake in Preem.
Somali e-visa controversy: Ismail Ahmed points to Premier Bank involvement
Ismail Ahmed claims Premier Bank helped design Somalia’s e-visa system and benefits from visa fees through Empire Tech Solutions.
Ahmed Osman Guelleh, one of Djibouti's richest men, recalibrates for a tougher market
Ahmed Osman Guelleh built a logistics and beverage empire around Djibouti’s ports and Somaliland’s Coca-Cola plant. Now competition is testing his hold.
Somali businessman Abdiweli Hassan to invest $503 million in Kenya’s Tatu City
Somali businessman Abdiweli Hassan plans a $503 million mixed-use project at Kenya’s Tatu City, expanding his footprint from retail into urban development.
Latest Posts
Rwandan President Paul Kagame tells 2,800 business leaders Africa is rich in everything except leverage and must learn to say no
Paul Kagame opened the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali by attacking minerals coercion and telling 2,800 business leaders Africa must stop waiting to be ripped off.
Meet Claude Wilfrid Etoka, the Brazzaville tire trader who built a $500 million oil empire across Africa
Claude Wilfrid Etoka began importing tires in Brazzaville with a single company. Three decades later, he controls a $500 million oil trading empire across Africa.
How AngloGold Ashanti doubled to $50 billion and dethroned Naspers as Africa's most valuable listed company
AngloGold Ashanti has doubled its market value to nearly $50 billion, dethroning Naspers as Africa's most valuable listed company amid record gold prices.
Billionaire Robert F. Smith's Vista Equity opens first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi
Robert F. Smith has opened Vista Equity Partners' first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi, positioning his $107 billion software firm to tap Gulf sovereign wealth capital.
Meet Lotfi Nezzar, the Algerian businessman whose Spanish empire is estimated at 300 million euros
Algerian businessman Lotfi Nezzar, eldest son of late Major General Khaled Nezzar, holds a Spanish property and banking portfolio estimated at 300 million euros.
Tanzania's richest man Mohammed Dewji makes TIME100 Philanthropy list for tackling poverty in Africa
Robert F. Smith has taken Vista Equity Partners into Abu Dhabi, opening the $107 billion firm's first Middle East office inside the Abu Dhabi Global Market financial center.
Carlos Manuel de Sao Vicente built Angola's biggest oil insurance empire and lost it all to a nine-year prison sentence
Carlos de Sao Vicente built Angola's biggest oil insurance empire and became a dollar billionaire. A corruption conviction took everything he had built.
Meet Patrice Talon, the cotton tycoon who became Benin's president and survived a 2025 coup attempt
Patrice Talon, Benin's eighth president since 2016, built a $400 million fortune in cotton before entering politics, and survived a coup attempt in December 2025.
Patrice Motsepe's GoTyme Bank just made every one of its 2,000 employees a shareholder
Patrice Motsepe's GoTyme Bank has launched a share ownership scheme worth north of R100 million (roughly $5.5 million), giving all 2,000 employees across its global operations a direct stake in the business.
Tony and Awele Elumelu make TIME100 Philanthropy list for seeding African entrepreneurs
Tony Elumelu and his wife Awele have made TIME's 2026 philanthropy list, recognized for seeding over 27,000 African entrepreneurs across all 54 countries on the continent.
Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu wins CEO of the Year at Africa CEO Forum and tells African leaders to get serious
Abdul Samad Rabiu was named CEO of the Year at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali and challenged African leaders to stop talking and start executing at scale.
LVMH looks to sell its stake in Rihanna's Fenty Beauty for about $2 billion
LVMH is exploring the sale of its 50% stake in Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, valued by JPMorgan at up to $2.5 billion, as the luxury group resets its portfolio amid falling demand.
King Mswati's Tibiyo fund is struggling to pay workers at the Eswatini Observer, the newspaper it has owned since 1981
King Mswati III's Tibiyo TakaNgwane investment fund is struggling to pay workers at the Eswatini Observer, the newspaper it has fully owned since 1981.
Burkina Faso tycoon Appolinaire Compaoré, who made a fortune in tobacco, banking and telecoms, dies at 73
Appolinaire Compaoré, founder of Planor Afrique and one of Burkina Faso's most powerful businessmen, died on May 14 in Ouagadougou at 73.
Meet Shingi Mutasa, the Mutare-born commodity broker who quietly built one of Zimbabwe's most powerful business empires
Shingi Mutasa returned from London in 1980, joined his father's commodity business and quietly built one of Zimbabwe's most diversified private empires.
Jay-Z's Roc Nation signs with Chelsea FC in a deal built to win American fans before the World Cup lands in the US
Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports International signed a strategic partnership with Chelsea FC on May 14, targeting the US market through culture, music and entertainment.
