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The Top 10 Richest People In Africa | September 2026
Forbes' daily ranking on Sept. 1 puts Aliko Dangote at $31.4 billion and Nathan Kirsh second at $19.2 billion, ahead of Johann Rupert.
Editors' Picks
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed acquires 70% of Al Hilal football club
Kingdom Holding has completed its SR840 million purchase of 70% of Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia's PIF, valuing the club at about $320 million.
Egyptian shipping tycoon Ahmed Tarek Khalil sells his entire Ajwa stake for $6 million
Ahmed Tarek Khalil sold 8.34% of Ajwa for Food Industries Egypt for EGP 301.65 million, about $6 million, exiting the edible oils maker entirely.
The Top 10 Richest People In Africa | September 2026
Forbes' daily ranking on Sept. 1 puts Aliko Dangote at $31.4 billion and Nathan Kirsh second at $19.2 billion, ahead of Johann Rupert.
Exclusive Content For Paid Supporters
The Inside Story: The Missing Ingredient — How Stella Okoli Went From a ₦5,000 Chemist's Shop to Chasing Sub-Saharan Africa's First Drug-Ingredient Plant
In 1977, Stella Okoli opened a small chemist's shop in Lagos with 5,000 naira and her father's house as collateral. She built it into one of Nigeria's largest drugmakers.
Deep-Dive Report: The Clinker Race — How Narendra Raval and Two Rival Billionaires Are Betting $600 Million on Making East Africa's Cement Locally
For two decades East Africa imported the clinker that makes cement. Now three billionaires, led by former temple assistant Narendra Raval, are pouring $600 million into making it locally as the multinationals retreat and tariffs bite. Inside the bet on self-sufficiency.
Investor Memo: The Pre-Emption — How Angola's Etu Energias Used a Right of First Refusal to Take Chevron's Oil Blocks From a London Bidder
Chevron agreed to sell two Angolan oil blocks to London-listed Energean for $260 million. Then Etu Energias, already a partner, used a right of first refusal to take the deal itself. A masterclass in how insiders win — and a signpost to who owns Africa's oil next.
Egyptian shipping tycoon Ahmed Tarek Khalil sells his entire Ajwa stake for $6 million
Ahmed Tarek Khalil sold 8.34% of Ajwa for Food Industries Egypt for EGP 301.65 million, about $6 million, exiting the edible oils maker entirely.
Billionaire Naguib Sawiris wants to run some of Egypt's airports
Orascom Investment is forming a consortium with a global airport operator to bid for some of the 11 Egyptian airports going to private hands.
Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris is spending €200 million on a resort Morocco never finished
Samih Sawiris wants to recreate El Gouna on Morocco's Atlantic coast, starting with 800 rooms in a €200 million first phase at Mogador-Essaouira.
Egyptian healthcare tycoon Hend El Sherbini borrows $60 million to take her company private
Riyada Managers lent Hena Holdings $60 million to fund the buyout of Integrated Diagnostics, the lab group Hend El Sherbini's mother founded.
Swvl raises $13m from Naguib Sawiris-backed Coefficient for US push
Four years after a $1.5bn SPAC listing that unravelled, Egypt's Swvl has raised $13 million led by Coefficient LP, the Houston firm backed by the Sawiris family — funding a US push and a new lending product for transport operators.
Moroccan canned fish billionaire Saïd Alj holds a $114 million stake in insurer Sanlam Maroc
Said Alj, the Moroccan behind Titus sardines, owns 7.206% of Sanlam Maroc, a stake worth $114 million after the Allianz Maroc merger.
Morocco has a new billionaire, Mohammed Bouzoubaa, with a $1.6 billion stake in TGCC
Morocco has another new billionaire in TGCC founder Mohammed Bouzoubaa, whose 19.3 million shares in the construction group are worth $1.62 billion.
Morocco has a new billionaire, construction tycoon M'hammed Kabbaj, worth $1.7 billion
Morocco has a new billionaire in SGTM chairman M'hammed Kabbaj, whose 22.2 million shares in the construction group are worth $1.72 billion.
Singapore's wealthy Aswani family is still buying Guinness Nigeria shares after a $343 million gain
N-Seven Nigeria, a Tolaram subsidiary, bought 550,092 more Guinness Nigeria shares on Aug. 28, lifting the Aswani family holding above 70.86%.
Nigerian tycoon Gliffeth Wonuigwe's Gasgroup targets NGX listing, expands into refining, power, gas infrastructure, AI data centers
Gliffeth Wonuigwe, the Nigerian oil and gas executive who runs Gasgroup, is taking the company to the Nigerian Exchange main board and repositioning it from oilfield services into refining, LNG and power for artificial intelligence data centres.
Cameroonian cosmetics mogul Francis Nana Djomou is losing ground as imports surge 66%
Cameroon imported $99 million of cosmetics in 2025, up 66% in three years, in the market Francis Nana Djomou built with affordable local brands.
Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola's First HoldCo stake now worth $1.4 billion at record high
First HoldCo hit an all-time high of N159.90 on Tuesday, lifting Femi Otedola's holding to about N1.97 trillion, roughly $1.42 billion.
Nigeria's oil refining just grew 43.94% and Aliko Dangote is the only reason
Nigeria's oil refining grew 43.94% in the second quarter, its strongest on record, as Dangote took 52.6 million barrels of crude.
Nigerian oil tycoon Uju Ifejika says she put $400 million into a field Chevron let go
Catherine Uju Ifejika says Brittania-U spent $400 million on the Ajapa field it bought from Chevron, as Nigeria targets 2.5 million barrels a day.
Nigerian cable tycoon George Onafowokan expects rate cuts within two CBN meetings
George Onafowokan says the CBN could start cutting from 26.5% within two meetings, after Coleman spent $20 million generating its own electricity.
Nigerian billionaire Kunle Soname is being pushed to run the NFF, and he keeps saying no
The National Sports Commission favours Kunle Soname for the NFF presidency after the entire executive resigned. He has said he is not interested.
Sudanese-British billionaire Mo Ibrahim tells Zambia's president not to waste his first term
Mo Ibrahim told Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema not to waste his first-term progress, citing arrests, the death of a former MP and court closures.
Billionaires Narendra Raval, Edha Nahdi bet $600 million on clinker as Sarbjit Rai enters cement business
Narendra Raval's West Pokot plant and Edha Nahdi's Kwale project commit roughly Sh77 billion ($600m) to clinker, the input East Africa has always imported. Now Sarbjit Singh Rai has filed for a third plant in Nyeri.
President Paul Kagame says Rwanda wants a stake in Dangote's $16 billion Kenyan refinery
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has confirmed his country is in early talks about taking a stake in Aliko Dangote's planned $16 billion Lamu oil refinery, saying Rwanda would be "very happy" to participate.
Aliko Dangote offers Kenya a $500 million stake in $20 billion Lamu refinery as September groundbreaking nears
Aliko Dangote has offered Kenya a $500 million stake in his planned $20 billion Lamu oil refinery, with groundbreaking now targeted for September as East African governments weigh their participation.
Madagascar's richest man Ylias Akbaraly attacks Elon Musk's layoffs in a new book
Madagascar's richest man Ylias Akbaraly criticises Elon Musk's mass layoffs in a new memoir, saying job cuts expose people to social death.
Esther Koimett becomes Middle East Bank Kenya's largest shareholder after inheriting Nicholas Biwott's stake
Esther Koimett, daughter of the late Kenyan billionaire and cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott, has emerged as Middle East Bank Kenya's largest individual shareholder with a 17.48% stake.
Aliko Dangote plans $17 billion refinery on Kenya's Lamu Island to end East Africa's fuel imports
Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote has selected Kenya's Lamu Island as the site for a $17 billion refinery that would transform East Africa's fuel supply.
High Court clears the way to distribute Simeon Nyachae's estate
A Kenyan court has dismissed a challenge by Simeon Nyachae's son, clearing the way to distribute the late politician's sprawling estate and business empire
Two South Africans built Tekkie Town from to a $197 million company, then Steinhoff wiped it all out
From $1,230 to $197 million and back to zero: Tekkie Town founders Braam van Huyssteen and Bernard Mostert describe how Steinhoff's accounting scandal destroyed their life's work in 18 months.
South African billionaire Jannie Mouton admits the Capitec mistake that cost PSG $1.4 billion
Jannie Mouton has admitted that unbundling PSG's 58% Capitec stake in 2003 was one of the costliest mistakes in South African investment history, a decision that cost the company $1.4 billion in future returns before a fortunate re-entry partially rescued the position.
Christo Wiese's Shoprite buys into R&A Cellular to compete in South Africa's $61 billion informal economy
Shoprite has completed a 51% acquisition of fintech R&A Cellular, marking the retail giant's entry into South Africa's informal economy estimated at between $46 billion and $61 billion.
Shoprite grew sales by $1 billion while cutting prices at its cheapest stores
Shoprite added R18.1 billion in sales while running price deflation at Shoprite and Usave, and is buying coffee chain Vida e Caffè and R&A Cellular.
South African billionaires Stephen Saad and Mike Teke are backing a $99 million township fibre push
The DNI consortium paid R1.6 billion for 34.8% of Frogfoot and Vox, a business that lost R256 million and has negative net asset value of R665m.
South Africa's wealthy Wapnick family holds $108 million stake in Octodec as a rival circles
The Wapnick family holds $108 million in Octodec. Emira spent R892 million buying 23.5%, and Octodec's board says the offer undervalued the company.
South African tycoon Sandile Zungu cleared to challenge Danny Jordaan for SAFA presidency
SAFA's governance committee cleared Sandile Zungu to run against Danny Jordaan on Sept. 12, settling a dispute that had run since May.
South Africa's Bidvest has stopped buying companies and started generating cash instead
Brian Joffe's Bidvest has closed three acquisitions totaling $102 million (R1.67 billion) in its 2026 financial year, headlined by the $92 million purchase of environmental testing specialist Aquatico Group, as the South African services giant posted $8 billion in revenue.
Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al-Amoudi is rebuilding his gold business in a new region
MIDROC has ordered Austrian machinery for a plant treating 1.25 million tonnes of ore a year, eight years after Ethiopia suspended its main mine.
Morocco rejects plan to nationalise Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al-Amoudi's collapsed SAMIR refinery
Morocco's upper house has rejected a bid to nationalise the SAMIR refinery, the shuttered facility once owned by billionaire Mohammed Al-Amoudi that collapsed under $4 billion in debt.
Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al Amoudi's MIDROC secures $80 million for Sheraton Addis upgrade
Mohammed Al-Amoudi's MIDROC Ethiopia has signed an $80 million IFC loan to refurbish the Sheraton Addis and build a second Sheraton hotel in Addis Ababa.
Qatar's billionaire Al-Khayyat family is bidding to build Africa's largest airport in Ethiopia
Qatar's Al-Khayyat family, through Power International Holding, is bidding to build Ethiopia's planned $12.5 billion Bishoftu airport and a 400-kilometre highway in the DRC.
Somali tycoon Amina Moghe Hersi's Atiak Sugar Factory has eaten $204 million and produced nothing in years. Uganda is demanding answers.
Uganda's parliament is demanding answers after Amina Moghe Hersi's Atiak Sugar Factory consumed $204 million in public and private funds without producing sugar in years.
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.
Latest Posts
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed acquires 70% of Al Hilal football club
Kingdom Holding has completed its SR840 million purchase of 70% of Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia's PIF, valuing the club at about $320 million.
Egyptian shipping tycoon Ahmed Tarek Khalil sells his entire Ajwa stake for $6 million
Ahmed Tarek Khalil sold 8.34% of Ajwa for Food Industries Egypt for EGP 301.65 million, about $6 million, exiting the edible oils maker entirely.
The Top 10 Richest People In Africa | September 2026
Forbes' daily ranking on Sept. 1 puts Aliko Dangote at $31.4 billion and Nathan Kirsh second at $19.2 billion, ahead of Johann Rupert.
Singapore's wealthy Aswani family is still buying Guinness Nigeria shares after a $343 million gain
N-Seven Nigeria, a Tolaram subsidiary, bought 550,092 more Guinness Nigeria shares on Aug. 28, lifting the Aswani family holding above 70.86%.
Billionaire Josh Kushner regrets $20 billion FIFA deal that African bodies backed
Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital was to be cornerstone investor in a $20bn FIFA vehicle that African associations backed hardest and European ones killed. He now says the firm misjudged football's politics and UEFA is seeking documents in a US court.
Sun City vs Vegas: Can the African paradise lure the big bettors
Sun City pairs private casino salons with two championship golf courses and Big Five game drives in Pilanesberg, two hours from Johannesburg.
Two South Africans built Tekkie Town from to a $197 million company, then Steinhoff wiped it all out
From $1,230 to $197 million and back to zero: Tekkie Town founders Braam van Huyssteen and Bernard Mostert describe how Steinhoff's accounting scandal destroyed their life's work in 18 months.
Billionaire Tim Draper’s $7.9 million Tanzania island sale faces government ownership clarification
Billionaire Tim Draper’s $7.9 million plan to sell his investment in Tanzania’s Lupita Island has drawn a government clarification: the island itself remains state-owned. Draper’s stake is tied to the luxury resort and investment rights held by Firelight Safaris, subject to Tanzanian law.
Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife now controls nearly 75% of Vietnam’s billionaire wealth
Vietnam’s richest couple, Pham Nhat Vuong and Pham Thu Huong, now control nearly 75% of the wealth held by the country’s eight billionaires. The Vingroup power couple has a combined fortune of $40.6 billion, with Vuong alone worth $36.5 billion, making him Southeast Asia’s richest person.
South African billionaire Jannie Mouton admits the Capitec mistake that cost PSG $1.4 billion
Jannie Mouton has admitted that unbundling PSG's 58% Capitec stake in 2003 was one of the costliest mistakes in South African investment history, a decision that cost the company $1.4 billion in future returns before a fortunate re-entry partially rescued the position.
Nigerian tycoon Gliffeth Wonuigwe's Gasgroup targets NGX listing, expands into refining, power, gas infrastructure, AI data centers
Gliffeth Wonuigwe, the Nigerian oil and gas executive who runs Gasgroup, is taking the company to the Nigerian Exchange main board and repositioning it from oilfield services into refining, LNG and power for artificial intelligence data centres.
African Wealth Briefing — Tues., Sept. 1, 2026
Nigeria's oil refining just posted its strongest quarter on record, up 43.94% — and Aliko Dangote's refinery is the only reason.
Cameroonian cosmetics mogul Francis Nana Djomou is losing ground as imports surge 66%
Cameroon imported $99 million of cosmetics in 2025, up 66% in three years, in the market Francis Nana Djomou built with affordable local brands.
Elon Musk's SpaceX paid $60 billion for Cursor and inherited a Russian hacker problem that hit seven companies
Elon Musk's SpaceX completed the largest startup acquisition in history when it bought Cursor for $60 billion, but the deal came pre-loaded with a cybersecurity breach that Russian-speaking hackers had already used to compromise seven companies.
Paystack quietly acquired Nigerian fintech Allawee and is now shutting it down to build something bigger
Paystack has quietly absorbed Nigerian card-issuing fintech Allawee after an undisclosed 2025 acquisition, closing all customer accounts by December 1 as Nigeria's largest payments processor assembles a full financial services empire through acquisitions.
Christo Wiese's Shoprite buys into R&A Cellular to compete in South Africa's $61 billion informal economy
Shoprite has completed a 51% acquisition of fintech R&A Cellular, marking the retail giant's entry into South Africa's informal economy estimated at between $46 billion and $61 billion.
