Cement mogul Aliko Dangote made history yesterday when Forbes in its 2014 edition named him the world’s 23rd richest man.
He makes history as the first black man to break into the rank of top 25 richest people in the world with a wealth of $25 billion from $16.1 billion in 2013.
For the fourth year running, Dangote retained his position in Africa as the richest man of the continent.
Dangote, who was number 43 on the top 100 world billionaire list in 2013, took a quantum leap; he moved up 20 spots to retain his position in Africa and also No. 23 in the world.
Bill Gates is back on top after a four-year hiatus, reclaiming the title of world’s richest person from telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, who ranked No. 1 for the past four years. Gates, whose fortune rose by $9 billion in the past year, has held the top spot for 15 of the past 20 years.
Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega (best known for the Zara fashion chain) retains the No. 3 spot for the second year in a row, extending his lead over Warren Buffett, who is again No. 4.
In Nigeria, Mike Adenuga was next to Dangote on the lists with a wealth of $4.6 billion, maintaining No. 325 in the world, while Folorunsho Alakija with $2.5 billion was No. 687 in the world and Abdulsamad Rabiu ranks No. 1,372 in the world with $1.2 billion.
The year’s biggest dollar gainer was Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped $15.2 billion to $28.5 billion as shares of his social network soared. Tech, and more specifically Facebook, helped propel numerous fortunes lately.
The company’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, joins the ranks for the first time, as does Facebook’s longtime vice president Jeff Rothschild. Also, thanks to a $19 billion deal (including restricted stock) with Facebook, WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton join the ranks of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest for the first time.
They are 4 of 26 newcomers whose fortunes come from technology, 10 of whom are American, including Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Workday cofounder Aneel Bhusri.
U.S. once again leads the world with 492 billionaires, as a result of the tech boom, and strong stock market, then followed by China with 152 and Russia with 111. But wealth is spreading to new places.
Also for the first time in the history of Forbes rating, billionaires were found in Algeria, Issad Rebrab, who is into food business with $3.2bn worth, Rostam Azizi from Tanzania with $1 billion and Sudhir Ruparelia from Uganda with $1.1 billion worth. By region, Europe boasted the most billionaires outside the US, with 468 in total, closely followed by Asia, which had 444 billionaires.
The list suggested that wealth was spreading, with four new countries featuring for the first time – Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania and Uganda.
Landlord Gerald Grosvenor and family were the richest British family to make the list, with a net worth estimated at $13bn.
Known formally as the 6th Duke of Westminster, he owns 190 acres in Belgravia, an area adjacent to Buckingham Palace and one of London’s most expensive neighbourhoods.
