Dangote, on Monday made history by
becoming the first black man to break
into the rank of top 25 richest people in
the world. His wealth jumped to $25bn
from $16.1bn in 2013, according to
Forbes magazine's list of the richest
people on earth.
Dangote, who was number 43 in the top
100 world billionaire list last year,
moved up 20 spots to retain his position
as the richest person in Africa and also
number 23rd in the world.
The Chairman, Globacom, Chief Mike
Adenuga, was the next Nigerian on the
list with a wealth of $4.6bn to maintain
the 325th position in the world.
The Executive Vice Chairman, Famfa Oil
Limited and fashion icon, Mrs.
Folorunsho Alakija, retained her position
as the world's richest black woman and
the 687th in the world with a fortune of
$2.5bn; while the Chairman/Chief
Executive Officer, BUA Group of
Companies, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu,
was ranked 1372th in the world with
$1.2bn.
The former Chairman of Microsoft
Corporation, Bill Gates, is back on top
after a four-year hiatus, reclaiming the
title of the world's richest person from
telecoms mogul, Carlos Slim Helu of
Mexico, who ranked number one for the
past four years.
Gates, whose fortune rose by $9bn 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 in the
fourth position.
The year's biggest dollar gainer was the
Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg,
whose fortune jumped by $15.2bn to
$28.5bn, as shares of his social network
soared.
Technology, and more specifically
Facebook, helped to propel numerous
fortunes lately.
The company's Chief Operating Officer,
Sheryl Sandberg, joins the ranks for the
first time, as does the Facebook's long-
time vice-president, Jeff Rothschild.
Also, thanks to a $19bn 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 four of 26 newcomers whose
fortunes come from technology; 10 of
whom are American, including Dropbox
CEO, Drew Houston, and Workday
cofounder, Aneel Bhusri.
The United States once again leads the
world with 492 billionaires as a result of
the technology boom and strong stock
market, followed by China with 152 and
Russia with 111. But wealth is spreading
to new places.
For the first time in the history of the
Forbes rating, billionaires were found in
Algeria with Issad Rebrab, who is into
food business with $3.2bn worth of
fortune; Rostam Azizi from Tanzania
with $1bn; and Sudhir Ruparelia from
Uganda with $1.1bn.
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