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Forbes’ World’s Richest: Aliko Dangote now number 43

By on March 5, 2013

Two Nigerian billionaires have retained their presence in the Forbes’ list of the world’s richest in the latest list of about 1,500 billionaires.

Dangote Group of Companies President, Aliko Dangote is number 43, moving up from 76 last year. His net worth is $16.1 billion.

Globacom Boss, Mike Adenuga Jnr. is number 267 on the list, with a net worth of $4.7 billion.

Mexican telecoms giant Carlos Slim is, once again, the world’s richest person, followed by Bill Gates. Amancio Ortega of Spanish retailer Zara moves up to No. 3 for the first time. He is the year’s biggest gainer, adding $19.5 billion to his fortune in one year.

He moves ahead of Warren Buffett, despite the fact that the U.S. investing legend added $9.5 billion to his fortune. This is the first year since 2000 that Buffett has not been among the top three.

Forbes said the ranks of the world’s billionaires reached all-time highs. The 2013 Forbes Billionaires list now boasts 1,426 names, with an aggregate net worth of $5.4 trillion, up from $4.6 trillion. The U.S., once again, leads the list with 442 billionaires, followed by Asia-Pacific (386), Europe (366), the Americas (129) and the Middle East & Africa (103).

Resurgent asset prices are the driving force behind the rising wealth of the super-rich around the globe. While last year almost as many fortunes fell as rose, this year gainers outnumbered losers by four-to-one. Many new names made the list, thanks to free-spending consumers. To name but a few: Diesel jeans mogul Renzo Rosso at $3 billion, retailer Bruce Nordstrom at $1.2 billion and designer Tory Burch at $1 billion.

Dangote retains his position as Africa’s richest man for the third year in a row. The past year has been eventful for the 55-year-old Dangote. In October, he sold off a controlling stake in his flour milling company to Tiger Brands of South Africa. He pocketed $190 million in cash. In February, his Dangote Sugar Refineries acquired a 95% stake in Nigerian sugar producer Savannah Sugar, in a bid to maintain its dominant position in the Nigerian sugar industry.

Dangote stepped up his philanthropy in the past year, giving over $100 million to causes ranging from education to health, flood relief, poverty alleviation and the arts. He also acquired a yacht, which he named after his mother, Amiya. Dangote started building his fortune more than three decades ago when he began trading in commodities, such as cement, flour and sugar, with a loan he received from his maternal uncle. He delved into full production of these items in the early 2000s and went on to build the Dangote Group, West Africa’s largest publicly-listed conglomerate, which now owns sugar refineries, salt processing facilities and Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer. A fitness buff, Dangote jogs every day.

Adenuga built a fortune in mobile telecom and oil production. He founded Globacom, Nigeria’s second largest mobile phone network, in 2006. It has 24 million customers in Nigeria, operates in the Republic of Benin and recently acquired licences to roll out in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. His Conoil company is one of Nigeria’s largest independent exploration companies, with a production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil per day. Adenuga made his first fortune at 26 in the 1970s by distributing lace and other materials.

More women have joined the ranks of the world’s wealthiest. Of the 1,426 people on the new 2013 Forbes list of the world’s billionaires, 138 are women, an obvious rise from the 104 figure of last year. New women billionaires include fashion designer Tory Burch and Hong Kong finance executive Pollyanna Chu.

The world’s richest woman is Liliane Bettencourt, the 90-year-old heiress to a 30% stake in cosmetics group L’Oreal. With a fortune that Forbes pegs at $30 billion – up $6 billion from last year – she ranks ninth wealthiest overall.

The second richest woman is Christy Walton of the U.S., who inherited her husband John Walton’s stake in Wal-Mart when he died in a plane crash in 2005.

The third richest woman is yet another Walton family member — Alice Walton, daughter of visionary retailer Sam Walton, who founded Wal-Mart with his brother in 1962. Alice Walton, ranked number 16 in the world.

One Comment

  1. eddy

    March 5, 2013 at 8:46 am

    I Will Βe recorded in this list in years to come IJN amen