14 of the Richest Africans in History

One of the richest men in the world is from Africa, but there’s plenty more wealthy men in the continent.

 From investing to trading, Africa is the homeland to many of the wealthiest men in the world. Here are some African millionaires and billionaires throughout history!

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Dreaming of NYSE? Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset First, Loren Douglass says

Aliko Dangote

Photo: Getty Images Ben Gabbe / Stringer

Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa with a net worth of over $12.4 billion. He is the founder of Dangote Cement, the largest cement producer in Africa.

Strive Masiyiwa

Photo: Getty Images Jemal Countess / Stringer

Strive Masiyiwa’s net worth is $1.2 billion for creating Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the largest mobile telecommunications company in the country. He also owns over half of Liquid Telecom, a satellite service.

Patrice Motsepe

Photo: Getty Images Eurasia Sport Images / Contributor

Patrice Motsepe founded a private equity firm called Africa Rainbow Capital in 2003. His net worth is $2.5 billion. He is also the president and owner of Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club.

Nassef Sawiris

Image: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Other’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}] Screen grab from Forbes.com

Nassef Sawiris is an Egyptian investor, making most of his money from his 6% stake in Adidas. He is the Executive Chair of OCI, a fertilizer company in the United States. His net worth is $6.7 billion.

Mansa Musa

Image: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Other’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}] Screen grab from Magazine.Northwestern.edu

Mansa Musa, who ruled Mali from 1312 C.E. to 1337 C.E., was the richest person in the world. Most of Musa’s wealth came from mining and trading gold and salt.

Mohamed Mansour

Image: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Other’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}] Screen grab from Forbes.com

Mohamed Mansour is a founder and board member of the Mansour Group in Egypt. The company is one of the biggest GM dealers in the world and also has investment, food, and capital ventures. His net worth is $2.5 billion.

Oba Otudeko

Oba Otudeko (R) founder of Honeywell Group receives the CEO of the Year award from Jay Ireland (L) CEO of General Electric Africa during the Africa CEO Forum Awards Photo: Getty Images SIA KAMBOU / Stringer

In 2014, Oba Otudeko was estimated to be worth $550 million. He is the founder of the Honeywell Group, an investment company.

Naguib Sawiris

Photo: Getty Images GIUSEPPE CACACE / Stringer

Naguib Sawiris comes from a wealthy Egyptian family. He has had several lucrative business deals making his worth $3.4 billion. In 2011, he sold the mobile telecommunications company Orascom Telecom, which was a billion dollar deal. He also created Silversands, a resort in Grenada.

Otumfuo Tutu II

Image: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Other’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}] Screen grab from Memphisinmay.org

Otumfuo Tutu II is the 16th monarch to Ghana’s Ashanti kingdom. He is the founder of Tranpomech Ghana, a sales company that contributed to his net worth being $10 million in 2014.

Othman Benjelloun & family

Image: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Other’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}] Screen grab from Forbes.com

Othman Benjelloun is Morroccan and the CEO of BMCE Bank of Africa. His net worth is $1 billion.

Mike Adenuga

Image: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Other’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}] Screen grab from Forbes.com

Mike Adenuga is the founder of Globacom Limited, a telecommunications company. He also is involved with Conoil Producing. All of his business ventures have made his net worth $5.6 billion.

King Mswati III

Photo: Getty Images Pool / Pool

King Mswati III is the last absolute monarch of Swaziland and was estimated to be worth $50 million in 2014 from investments.

Aziz Akhannouch

Photo: Getty Images LUDOVIC MARIN / Contributor

Aziz Akhaannouch is an owner of the Akwa Group, a conglomerate mostly being involved in oil, real estate, telecommunications, and more. His net worth is $1.8 billion.

Issad Rebrab & family

Photo: Getty Images AFP / Stringer

Issad Rebrab’s net worth is $5.1 billion as the CEO of family-owned Cevital. The company has investments in food processing and distribution, automotive, real estate, and more.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

Favorite Books By Black Authors in 2025

Favorite Books By Black Authors in 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re looking at our favorite books by Black authors of the year …
Black Things to Do in New York City This Holiday

Black Things to Do in New York City This Holiday

We have the tea on how to celebrate the holiday season in NYC with black-owned businesses and cultural events across the five boroughs …
Everything We Know About The Sherrone Moore Scandal

Everything We Know About The Sherrone Moore Scandal

The University of Michigan fired Moore for having an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” …
Jasmine Crockett on Why She Wants To Work with 'Frenemy' Marjorie Taylor Greene

Jasmine Crockett on Why She Wants To Work with ‘Frenemy’ Marjorie Taylor Greene

EXCLUSIVE: Over a year has passed since Rep. Jasmine Crockett flamed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and she spoke to The Root about the current state of their relationship …
D'Angelo and Angie Stone's Son Details Parents' Surprising Health Struggles

D’Angelo and Angie Stone’s Son Details Parents’ Surprising Health Struggles

Both D’Angelo and Angie Stone passed away within months of each other, and now their only son is shedding new light on their final days …
Photo: Getty Images Arturo Holmes

No Justice, No Peace: All the Times Attorney Benjamin Crump Fought for Civil Rights

Benjamin Crump’s latest fight was for a Florida security guard, who was murdered in 2023 …
Inside Sherrone Moore's 'For Cause' Firing— And How It Could Cost Him BIG

Inside Sherrone Moore’s ‘For Cause’ Firing— And How It Could Cost Him BIG

Sherrone Moore’s worries don’t stop at his felony charges. His “for cause” firing means Michigan is off the hook for paying him this eye-watering amount …
Porsha Williams Confirms She’s Dating a Woman, and Black Internet Has a Unified Reaction

Porsha Williams Confirms She’s Dating a Woman, and Black Internet Has a Unified Reaction

After hard-launching her new boo, RHOA’s Porsha Williams reveals why she’s done hiding her love life, but social media wasted no time pulling old clips proving fans clocked her tea years ago …
What Blueface's Tweet About Having Sex With His Mother Actually Says <i>About</i> Black Mothers...

What Blueface’s Tweet About Having Sex With His Mother Actually Says About Black Mothers…

OPINION: Blueface’s tweet about his mother sleeping with him is inelegant, but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong …
Kim Kardashian’s Sons Steal the Show at Her Law School Graduation Party

Kim Kardashian’s Sons Steal the Show at Her Law School Graduation Party

Kim Kardashian has been on a long journey to up her law skills and knowledge, but her sons wouldn’t let her be great! Let’s talk about it …
Why the Netflix Diddy Doc Participants Are Also Terrible Humans

Why the Netflix Diddy Doc Participants Are Also Terrible Humans

OPINION: Many of the participants in Netflix’s “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” were positioned to take Diddy down long ago…so why didn’t they? …
Shannon Sharpe Breaks His Silence on the Messy Sherrone Moore Scandal

Shannon Sharpe Breaks His Silence on the Messy Sherrone Moore Scandal

Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe weighed in on the scandal surrounding former Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore …
$70M Investment Set to Transform Portland’s Historic Black Albina Neighborhood

$70M Investment Set to Transform Portland’s Historic Black Albina Neighborhood

The 1803 Fund unveils a $70 million plan to create jobs and repair decades of displacement in North Portland’s historically Black neighborhood …
Blue Ivy's Latest Courtside Grownup Look Has The Internet Gagged

Blue Ivy’s Latest Courtside Grownup Look Has The Internet Gagged

Folks online can’t get over Blue Ivy’s latest fashion moment …
These Are the Best Black Movies of 2025

These Are the Best Black Movies of 2025

While Sinners clearly emerged as the front-runner of Black films this year, there were others that are also worthy of being celebrated. Let’s take a look! …
Trump's New 'Gold Card' Lets Immigrants Skip the Line, But There's a <i>Huge</i> Catch

Trump’s New ‘Gold Card’ Lets Immigrants Skip the Line, But There’s a Huge Catch

After months of teasing Trump’s $1 million immigration Gold Card, here’s everything you should know about the Green Card competitor …
These 7 Black Female Senate Candidates Could Rewrite History in 2026

These 7 Black Female Senate Candidates Could Rewrite History in 2026

From Texas to South Carolina, a new wave of Black women candidates is stepping into the U.S. Senate race, potentially making history in the 2026 election cycle …
Which is the Better Blackity-Black Christmas Jam: Boyz II Men's 'Let It Snow' or Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You?'

Which is the Better Blackity-Black Christmas Jam: Boyz II Men’s ‘Let It Snow’ or Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You?’

When it comes to hella Black Christmas songs, does Boyz II Men have an edge over Mariah Carey? Let’s get into it! …
These 13 Republicans Just Turned Their Back on Trump -- Why It's Crucial for 2026

These 13 Republicans Just Turned Their Back on Trump — Why It’s Crucial for 2026

Thirteen Republicans just sided with Democrats in a historic move to undermine Trump… but what does that really mean for the future of Congress? …
Photo: Getty Images Andrew Harnik

Uh…Everyone’s Saying the Same Thing About Hakeem Jeffries’ Reaction to Jasmine Crockett’s Senate Run

Jeffries reaction to Crockett’s Senate announcement left people filling in the blanks …