Black Billionaire Profiles

This is a global list of black billionaires in U.S. dollars, compiled using data from Forbes.com, Bloomberg.com and CanadianBusiness.com.

Nigerian business magnate Aliko Dangote with a net worth of $16.1 billion is the world's richest black person, according to Forbes magazine's 2013 ranking of the worlds richest people.

On the 2013 edition of The World's Billionaires listForbes list seven black billionaires, four in Africa, one in the UK, one in the Middle East and one in North America. 

Robert L. Johnson and Michael Lee-Chin were the first black people to be listed on Forbes magazines annual ranking of the World's Billionaires in 2001. Forbes mistakenly listed Mr. Johnson as the only black billionaire not recognizing Mr. Lee-Chin as being black.

Oprah Winfrey became the worlds first black female billionaire in 2003 and remained the only female black billionaire until being joined on the Forbes magazine billionaires list by Isabel dos Santos, Africa's first female billionaire, on the March 2013 world's billionaires list.

Mr. Michael Lee-Chin did not make the Forbes Billionaire List for 2011, 2012 or 2013 but he did make the 2011 and 2012 Canadian Business 100 Richest Canadians List, which is published later in the year, his net worth was estimated at CAD $1.84 billion (USD $1.85 billion as of Nov., 2012). We will continue to list Mr. Lee-Chin on our list until he is no longer listed on any of our reference list.

Update March 4, 2013

Black Billionaires 2013

Name Age Networth (Billions) Rank Company Industry Country
Aliko Dangote 55 $16.1 43 The Dangote Group sugar, flour, cement Nigeria
Mohammed Al Amoudi 68 $13.5 65 MIDROC, Corral Petroleum Holdings, Preem, Peab oil, diversified Saudi Arabia
Mike Adenuga 59 $4.7 267 Globacom telcom, banking, oil Nigeria
Patrice Motsepe 51 $2.9 490 African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) mining South Africa
Oprah Winfrey 59 $2.8 503 Harpo Television United States
Isabel dos Santos 40 $2.0 736 Investments Banking Angola
Mohammed Ibrahim 66 $1.1 1268 Celtel International, MSI Cellular communications United Kingdom

Current Black Billionaires

Aliko Dangote

Born: April 10, 1957, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria,

Position: Chairman, President,

Company: The Dangote Group,

Industry: Manufacturing,

Country: Nigeria[more]


Dr. Mike Adenuga

Born: March 29, 1953, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State.,

Position: Chairman, CEO,

Company: Globacom Limited,

Industry: Telecommunications Services,

Country: Nigeria[more]


Isabel dos Santos

Isabel dos Santos

Born: April 1, 1973 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR,

Occupation: Businesswoman,

Position: Investor,

Company: Unitel International Holdings BV, Santoro Holding

Industry: Media, Telecommunications, Financial Services,...[more]


Michael Lee-Chin

Born: Port Antonio, Jamaica, 1951

Company: Portland Holdings Inc.

Position: Founder, Executive Chairman

Industry: Financial Services

Country: Canada[more]


Mohammed Al Amoudi

Born: 1946, Dessie, Ethiopia

Position: Chairman

Company: Corral Petroleum Holdings, MIDROC Ethiopia

Industry: Petroleum

Country: Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia[more]


Mohammed Ibrahim

Mo Ibrahim

Born: c. 1946, Sudan,

Position: Founder and Chairman,

Company: Satya Capital Ltd.,

Industry: Investment Funds,

Country: UK[more]


Oprah Winfrey

Born: January 29, 1954,

Position: Chairman, CEO, and CCO, OWN; Chairman, Harpo,

Company: Harpo Inc.,

Industry: Media,

Country: United States[more]


Patrice Motsepe

Patrice Motsepe

Born: January, 28, 1962, Johannesburg

Position: Chairman

Company: African Rainbow Minerals Limited

Industry: Mining

Country: South Africa[more]


Past Black Billionaires

Femi Otedola

Company: African Petroleum

Position: Chairman

Industry: Energy

Country: Nigeria[more]


Robert L. Johnson

Date of Birth: April 8, 1946, in Hickory, Mississippi.

Education: University of Illinois, BA, 1968; Princeton University, MPA, 1972.

Company: The RLJ Company

Position: Founder, CEO

Industry: Real Estate, Hospitality,...[more]