Imagine what a million here or there could do for your life. But while we all dream of tropical holidays or owning a house, the rich of the world have gotten quite a bit richer. Forbes released its annual list of the year’s biggest financial gainers and Africa does not buck the trend…
Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has had a great, boosting his fortune by double digits and still remains firmly at the top of the billionaire rankings. But how did the rest of the continent’s super rich do?
- Yasseen Mansour
Net Worth: $2.4 billion
You may not have heard of Yasseen Mansour before now, but if you regularly survey lists like these you know his brother Mohamed: one of Africa’s ten richest people. Both along with their third brother run the Mansour Group, an Egyptian giant that among many things is the continent’s leading supplier of Caterpillar equipment. Though Yasseen’s fortune didn’t outgrow his brother’s – Mohamed’s worth grew to $3.1 billion – it still jumped 20 percent ($400 million) to reach $2.4 billion.
- Abdulsamad Rabiu
Net Worth: $1.2 billion
Making his debut on the billionaires list late last year, Nigeria’s Abdulsamad Rabiu has had a terrific 2013. He has fingers in many of the same businesses as his compatriot and Africa’s richest, Aliko Dangote: flour, cement, real estate, steel and more, all run through his privately-owned BUA Group. In the past year Rabiu’s fortune grew by an impressive 85 percent – adding $550 million and elevating him into billionaire status with $1.2 billion to his name.
- Koos Bekker
Net Worth: $1.2 billion
Imagine being in charge of a company that just seems to be printing money. Naspers may be a media firm, but smart diversification has kept it immune from the forces ravaging its peers. Indeed, Naspers keeps making money – unheard of for a firm that used to mainly print newspapers. Bekker is the man credited for this turnaround and his holdings show the result: Forbes estimates that over the past year his fortune grew by $750 million – 167 percent – giving him admission to the billionaire’s club.
- Mohamed Mansour
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
This list started with Yasseen Mansour, co-owner of the Mansour Group. But though his fortune grew dramatically, as mentioned he still falls behind his brother Mohamed. One of Africa’s ten richest, Mohamed’s wealth got a healthy 41 percent boost in 2013, reports Forbes. That translates to $900 million, pushing him to a total of $3.1 billion. This is all thanks to aggressive international expansion by the Mansour Group and most of its income did not come from troubled Egypt.
- Nassef Sawiris
Net Worth: $6.6 billion
Egypt’s richest man added a bumper $1 billion to his fortune One of the three Sawiris brothers, he co-owns Orascom Construction Industries, which has fingers in cement and fertilizer, to name a few. Big investments in his businesses have boosted his balance sheet and despite agreeing to an expensive tax settlement, Sawiris still came out on top. With a rise of 18 percent, he is now worth $6.6 billion.