HappyLifestyleJournal
Of 1,826 billionaires in the world, only 11 of them are black. And even though some were born wealthy, others have had to fight through mud to earn their status. Their inspirational stories may just show you that anything is possible. Interestingly enough, only three of these 11 people are women but the numbers are growing every year. Here are five richest black people on the planet.
5. Oprah Winfrey – $3.2 billion
Kicking off our list with one of the most influential black women, and women in general, in the world. This TV star has become a household name and has numerous ventures securing her income stays this high. Not only does she have a super-successful talk show that had every major Hollywood star as a guest, she also has her own cable channel and a magazine and many others. And she makes sure to always think about those less fortunate because she was once one of them. Oprah’s is the typical rags to riches story where she had to go through thick and thin to get to where she is now. Well deserved.
4. Isabel Dos Santos – $3.4 billion
Isabel Dos Santos is one capable lady. It is true that she has been very privileged from her childhood, considering she is the daughter of the Angolan president, but that wouldn’t matter much without business savvy. And she has plenty of it. Dos Santos is involved with many successful companies in Angola and Portugal and holds shares in Unitel, country’s largest mobile phone company, Banco BIC and Banco BPI banks, Galp Energia oil and gas firm and many others. With such solid investments, it’s no wonder that Isabel Dos Santos is the richest woman in Africa.
3. Mike Adenuga – $3.6 billion
Mike Adenuga is the second richest man in Nigeria. But life hadn’t always been easy for this Nigerian billionaire. Before he struck it in the oil industry, he was just a student in the United States, working as a taxi driver to support himself. And upon returning to his home country he started earning big by trading Coca Cola and lace. Soon, Adenuga saw his chance in oil industry and now he owns two companies – Conoil Producing and Globacom, which is the second largest telecommunications company in the country.
2. Mohammed Al-Amoudi – $10.7 billion
This Saudi Arabian-Ethiopian billionaire has multiple ventures bringing him profit and putting him on the second place of our list. He started his business in construction but now has a whole specter of construction, agricultural, and energy companies in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. This means that he builds complexes across these countries and he sells his products (fruit, coffee, tea leaves) to companies such as Lipton and Starbucks. And alongside all this, he owns an oil company and a refinery. But he hasn’t forgotten those in need because he regularly helps organizations fighting AIDS in Africa.
1. Aliko Dangote – $16.6 billion
With a net worth of $16.6 billion, Aliko Dangote is by far the richest man in Africa and the richest black man on the planet. He is the CEO of his company Dangote Group which has shares in all sorts of companies, mostly dealing with production and trade of cement, flour, salt and sugar. Who would have thought that these commodities could be such a lucrative investment, but Dangote obviously knew what he was doing. Not only is his company Dangote Cement the largest cement producer in Africa, he is also currently building an oil refinery which is undoubtedly going to make him even richer.
