Black billionaire celebrities are often visible in the world now. They are individuals from African descent with a net worth of some billions. While we hardly find any significant difference in their status, we come across a magnificent drop in their net worth. Though they’re renowned business people, they know how to spend their wealth in the process of making their lives more comfortable and breathtaking at the same time.
Many of these black billionaires are self-made and self-starters who had built their business empires in media, sports, finance, and commodities. Their status in society has given them the all-important ‘celebrity’ tag. These multiracial billionaires with black ancestry have been identified over several years and they are considered to be top richest black celebrities for not only their wealth but political clout and market sway also.
Today we are going to discuss some of the top 30 black celebrities and the list is as follows:
1. Aliko Dangote
Net Worth: $10.9 Billion
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote is the founder of Dangote Cement which is the continent’s largest cement producer. He owns almost 85% of publicly-traded Dangote Cement and it produces 45.6 million metric tons annually. The company operates in ten countries across Africa.
62-year-old Dangote has completed his bachelor’s degree from Al-Azhar University and he also owns stakes in sugar, flour, and salt manufacturing companies. His refinery is under construction for three years and it is expected to be one of the world’s largest oil refinery when it will complete.
2. Mike Adenuga
Net Worth: $9.1 Billion
The 66-years-old Nigerian Mike Adenuga is the second richest man in the Black community who has built his fortune in oil production and telecom.
His phone network, Globacom is considered to be the third-largest operator in Nigeria that has 43 million subscribers. Adenuga’s oil exploration outfit, Conoil Producing works in six blocks in the Niger Delta. He earned his MBA degree from Pace University in New York. When he was a student, he used to work as a taxi driver to support his education. He made his first million when he was 26 by distributing soft drinks and selling lace.
3. Mohammed Al Amoudi
Net Worth: $8.4 Billion
The Ethiopian-Saudi billionaire businessman, Mohamed Al Amoudi is the third richest black person in the world. He made his fortune in construction and real estate prior to branching out to buy oil refiners in Sweden and Morocco.
He has established himself as the largest individual foreign investor in Ethiopia and a major investor in Sweden. He also owns land used to produce coffee and he has donated $500k to the Ethiopian National Coffee Museum. He has been honored at Addis Ababa University and also was honored with the Order of the Polar Star.
4. Robert F. Smith
Net Worth: $5 Billion
Robert F. Smith built his fortune through the private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners that he founded in 2000. His firm specializes in software companies. He has donated $50 million personally and through a foundation to the Cornell University in 2016.
He served as an executive at Goldman Sachs prior to his private equity firm. He worked with the heavyweights including Texas Instruments, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft, eBay in his time at Goldman Sachs. He also worked on various ventures over the years and contributed to causes like cancer research, wildlife conservation, and education.
5. Abdul samad Rabiu
Net Worth: $3.1 Billion
The 59-year-old Abdul samad Rabiu is the founder of BUA Group which is a Nigerian conglomerate active in cement production, real estate, and sugar refining.
He merged his privately owned Cement Company with the top farm, Cement Co. of Northern Nigeria that he controlled. The merged firm, BUA Cement Plc trades on the Nigerian stock exchange and he owns 98.5% of it. In 1988, he set up his own business in importing steel, iron, and chemicals.
6. David Steward
Net Worth: $3 Billion
David Steward is the co-founder and chairman of World Wide Technology but his journey to reach the top wasn’t at all smooth. He invested $250,000 that he earned from two auditing ventures to launch World Wide Technology that offers software and hardware products and services to public and private customers.
The clients of the company include Citi, U.S. government, Verizon, etc. In 2001, he has graced the cover of BLACK ENTERPRISE. The 67-year-old business tycoon has been ranked as no. 743 on Forbes’ list of the global billionaire.
7. Oprah Winfrey
Net Worth: $2.5 Billion
The Queen of All Media, Oprah Winfrey has a massive net worth of $2.5 billion and she has a large partnership with Weight Watchers.
Oprah Winfrey has bought a 10% stake in 2015 and she became the ambassador for the company, Weight Watchers. Her stake was estimated at $427 million by 2018. She also generates revenue with various business endeavors like the ownership of the cable network, OWN, a multi-year content partnership deal with Apple, Harpo Films, and also with her iconic talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. She donated almost half a billion dollars to charities throughout her career including over $100 million to Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
8. Michael Lee-Chin
Net Worth: $2.5 Billion
The Jamaican native, Michael Lee-Chin built his fortune by investing in National Commercial Bank Jamaica, AIC Limited, and other large companies. He also owns a 65% stake in National Commercial Bank Jamaica.
In 2016, he was appointed as the chairman of the government of Jamaica’s Economic Growth Council. He has made several large pledges and donations in Canada to the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum in 2003, and many more. He was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2017. In 2015, Michael Lee-Chin and his family received the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ National Philanthropy Award.
9. Patrice Motsepe
Net Worth: $2.3 Billion
Patrice Motsepe became the billionaire in 2008 and he is the founder and chairman of African Rainbow Minerals. He was selected to be the first black African on the Forbes list.
He launched a new private equity firm, African Rainbow Capital in 2016 that focused on investing in Africa. He also has a stake in a listed financial services firm, Sanlam. He became the owner and the president of the Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club and also became the first black partner at a law firm, Bowman Gilfillan. Motsepe bought a low-producing gold mine shafts in 1994 but later, turned them profitable.
10. Isabel Dos Santos
Net Worth: $2.3 Billion
The Princess of Angola, Isabel Dos Santos is the oldest daughter of Angola’s longtime former president, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos. In 2016, her father made her the head of Sonangol but the following year, Angola’s new president removed her from the role.
She had stakes in Angolan companies like a telecom firm and banks. She also owns a share of Portuguese companies such as telecom and cable TV firm, Nos SGPS. She is an independent businesswoman and a private investor who represents solely her interests. She had her degree in Bachelor of Arts/Science from King’s College, London.
