2,153 people made it to the 2019 Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires and 13 of them are black, which is an improvement from last year when only 11 blacks made it to the list.
Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote is still leading as the richest black person in the world with a fortune estimated at $10.9 billion. He’s closely followed by Nigerian oil and telecoms mogul Mike Adenuga.
American businessman David Stewart, who is majority owner of World Wide Technology, an IT provider, whose customers include Citi, Verizon and the federal government, joins the Black Billionaires Club with a fortune Forbes estimates at $3 billion.
Nigerian businessman Abdulsamad Rabiu, who made his fortune in cement, flour, edible oils and real estate, returned to the list this year after a multi-year hiatus. He last featured on the Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires in 2014.
Nigeria’s Folorunsho Alakija, American TV mogul Oprah Winfrey and Angolan investor Isabel dos Santos still remain the only black female billionaires in the world.
Below is the list of the 13 richest black people on earth, where they come from, and their area of business:
Aliko Dangote, $10.9 billion (Nigerian, Sugar, Cement, Flour)
Mike Adenuga, $9.1 billion (Nigerian, Oil, Telecoms)
Robert Smith, $5 billion (American, Private Equity)
David Steward, $ 3 billion (American, Tech)
Oprah Winfrey, $2.5 billion (American, Television)
Strive Masiyiwa, $2.4 billion (Zimbabwean, Telecoms)
Isabel Dos Santos, $2.3 billion (Angolan, Investments)
Patrice Motsepe, $2.3 billion (South African, Mining)
Michael Jordan, $1.9 billion (American, Basketball)
Michael Lee-Chin, $1.9 billion (Canadian, Investments)
Abdulsamad Rabiu, $1.6 billion ( Nigerian, Cement, Sugar)
Folorunsho Alakija, $1.1 billion (Nigerian, Oil)
Mohammed Ibrahim, $1.1 billion (Sudanese-British, Mobile Telecoms, Investments)