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Currently, the world economy is experiencing a period of extreme instability with fortunes frequently rising and falling on a daily, if not on an hourly, basis. However, the last several years have generally been favorable for the billionaire class in Africa as well as the rest of the world.
African billionaires may not get the same level of global attention as their counterparts in North America or Asia, but there are a few big fortunes on the continent that are worth mentioning.
Here are the top five richest people in Africa
Nassef Sawiris: $6.1 Billion
Nassef Sawiris is an Egyptian billionaire who has a net worth of $6.1 billion. The majority of his wealth is rooted in Orascom Construction Industries, the construction firm his father started and which he presently leading as CEO ever since 1998.
Nassef has performed a wide range of other duties as well, including serving or having served as a Director of the Dubai International Financial Exchange, President of the Egyptian Cement Company, and a member of the American Chamber of Commerce.
He is also the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as well as the Business Secretariat of the Egyptian National Democratic Party.
Nathan Kirsh: $7.2 Billion
Although Nathan Kirsh, a business tycoon, is based in South Africa, his property empire spans both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Given that he declared bankruptcy in the 1980s, Kirsh’s ranking on this list is even more noteworthy.
Nicky Oppenheimer: $7,9 Billion
The family business of Nicky Oppenheimer is solely based on the production of diamonds. The De Beers diamond mining company’s chairman throughout the 1920s was his grandfather.
The South African entrepreneur Nicky is also the head of Greene and Partners Investments, a venture capital company that specializes in business in his home country.
Johann Rupert: $8.7 billion
The wealth of the Rupert family has soared to unprecedented heights in recent years thanks to the eldest son of the late South African business mogul Anton Rupert.
Richemont’s Swizz luxury products company’s chairman, Rupert, is passionate about protecting the environment.
Aliko Dangote: $21 Billion
Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian billionaire who heads The Dangote Group, a massive investment company with holdings all across Africa, is the wealthiest person in Africa.
He has a fortune that is over 2.5 times that of the person at the bottom of this list.
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