Forbes has published its annual African rich-list, listing the 21 richest people living in Africa – while also naming South Africa’s richest people at the start of 2017.
Those who feature on the list combine to make up a net worth of $70 billion. This is down from the 2015/16 list which featured 23 African billionaires worth a combined $79.8 billion, which is in turn was down from 28 African billionaires in 2014.
South Africans and Egyptians make up the majority of the list, each boasting six billionaires – although South Africa boasts the greatest amount of wealth, worth a combined $22.7 billion, $7 billion more than Egypt’s six billionaires.
Nigerian cement tycoon Aliko Dangote remains Africa’s richest person for the sixth year running with a $12.1 billion fortune, while only two female billionaires feature in Africa’s richest: Angola’s Isabel dos Santos – Africa’s richest woman with a $3.2 billion fortune, and Nigeria’s Folorunsho Alakija.
At 41, Tanzanian Mohammed Dewji is Africa’s youngest billionaire, well below the average age of 63.
In South Africa, the three-way tug-o-war between the country’s top three billionaires continues, with diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer pushing ahead of luxury goods Tycoon Johann Rupert and retail businessman Christo Wiese, to take the top spot.
Rupert and Wiese have both held the position as South Africa’s richest man over the past 2 years.
