Nigerian
cement tycoon, Aliko Dangote, is still the richest black person in the world
with a fortune estimated at $12.2 billion, the 2017 FORBES list of the World’s
Billionaires has shown.
According to
the list released on Monday, Mr. Dangote was followed by Saudi-Ethiopian
construction magnate, Mohammed Al-Amoudi, who is worth $8.4 billion.
Of the 2,043
people who made it to the 2017 FORBES list of the World’s Billionaires, 10 of
them are black, down from 12 in 2016.
Two black
moguls, however, fell off the ranks of the richest black people on earth, and they
are both Nigerian – oil tycoon Femi Otedola and cement mogul Abdulsamad Rabiu.
Analysts
said Mr. Otedola fell off the list as a result of the plunging share price of
his oil company, Forte Oil, while a devaluation of the Nigerian currency, the
Naira, was responsible for Mr. Rabiu’s ousting.
Investor and
daughter of Angolan president, Isabel dos Santos, American media mogul Oprah
Winfrey and Nigerian oil woman, Folorunsho Alakija, are still the only black
female billionaires on the FORBES billionaires list.
Winfrey,
dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, has been ranked the richest African-American
of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and
is currently North America’s first and only multi-billionaire black person.
Mr. Dangote
is not only Africa’s richest man, he is also the richest black person in the
world. He built his fortune trading in cement, sugar and flour but subsequently
ventured into manufacturing these commodities.
His Dangote
Cement is the largest cement producer in Africa. In January he announced plans
to establish a $100 million truck manufacturing facility in Lagos in
partnership with SINOTRUK, a Chinese firm.
INCREASE IN
WORLD BILLIONAIRES
In 2017, the
number of billionaires jumped 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 last year, the first time
ever that Forbes has pinned down more than 2,000 ten-figure-fortunes.
Their total
net worth rose by 18% to $7.67 trillion, also a record.
The change
in the number of billionaires, which is up 233 since the 2016 list, was the
biggest in the 31 years that Forbes has been tracking billionaires globally.
Gainers since last year’s list outnumbered losers by more than three to one.
Bill Gates
emerged the number one richest for the fourth year in a row, and the richest
person in the world for 18 out of the past 23 years. He has a fortune of $86
billion, up from $75 billion last year.
Amazon’s
Jeff Bezos had the best year of any person on the planet, adding $27.6 billion
to his fortune; now worth $72.8 billion, he moved into the top three in the
world for the first time, up from number five a year ago.
Warren
Buffett had the second-best year, and the biggest gain since Donald Trump was
elected president in November 2016. His $14.8 billion jump in 12 months was
enough for him to grab back the number two spot from Amancio Ortega, founder of
Spanish clothing chain Zara.
Mr. Ortega’s
fortune was up $4.3 billion since last year, but he still fell to fourth in the
world, unable to keep up with the outsize gains of others.
Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg moved up to number five for the first time, after his
fortune rose $11.4 billion in 12 months.
Meanwhile
Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, once the world’s richest man, fell to number six,
the first time he’s been out of the top five in twelve years.
There were
195 newcomers. Mainland China had the most new ten-figure fortunes with 76.
John
Collison, aged 26, emerged the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, just two
months younger than Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel.
Altogether
there are 227 women on list, including 10 who cofounded or own businesses with
a spouse or a brother and thus share the fortune.
The U.S.
continues to have more billionaires than any other nation, with a record 565,
up from 540 a year ago. China is catching up with 319 while Hong Kong has
another 67, and Macau 1.
Seventy-eight
people fell off the list, including 33 from China, 7 Americans and 9 who are
still super wealthy but share their wealth among extended family members and
therefore are not eligible for these ranks.
Additionally,
20 billionaires died in the past year, including Enterprise car rental founder
Jack Taylor and Michael Ilitch, who launched Little Caesar’s pizza with his
wife, Marian.
(Premium
Times)
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