These Are The Black Men And Women Who Landed On The Forbes 2022 Billionaires List
There are 2,668 people on Forbes’ 36th-annual ranking of the planet’s richest people—87 fewer than a year ago. They’re worth a collective $12.7 trillion—$400 billion less than in 2021.
And 236 newcomers have become billionaires over the past year—including the first ever from Barbados, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Uruguay.
Only three Africans were in the Top 500 of the list. They include Aliko Dangote with his $14 billion in total earnings, making him the richest man in Africa according to the magazine.
The next African on the list is Mike Adenuga with his $7.3 billion fortune which puts him at number 324 on the list. Abdulsamad Rabiu, was listed at number 350 with his $6.9 billion fortune.
Here’s the list:
Aliko Dangote
Net Worth: $14 Billion
The world’s richest Black man is the first Black entry on the Forbes billionaire list. African billionaire Aliko Dangote comes in with an impressive $14 billion net worth. Just last week, it was announced that he opened a 3-million-tonne fertilizer plant at a cost of $2.5 billion to target African and foreign markets even as the war in Ukraine has driven up prices for natural gas, a key ingredient for making urea.
Dangote said exports from the plant will go to Brazil, which relies heavily on Russia for imports of fertilizer. Shipments will also go to the United States, India, and Mexico, he said at the launch.
Mike Adenuga
Net Worth: $7.3 Billion
Mike Adenuga is one of the richest men in Nigeria, and his impressive $7.3 billion net worth comes from investments in the Telecomms industry.
Adenuga made his first million in 1979, at age 26, selling lace and distributing soft drinks. In 1990, he received a drilling license and in 1991, he consolidated Oil struck oil in the shallow waters of Southwestern Ondo State, the first indigenous oil company to do so in commercial quantity.
His telecom company Globacom spread quickly and started challenging the giant MTN Group. It launched services in Benin in 2008, and has continued its spread across Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, with more licenses currently being prospected in other West African countries.
Abdulsamad Rabiu
Net Worth: $6.9 Billion
Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu CON is a Nigerian billionaire businessman and philanthropist. His late father, Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu, was one of Nigeria’s foremost industrialists in the 1970s and 1980s. Rabiu’s children are this African billionaire’s pride and joy, and they’ll be set for life thanks to his $6.9 billion net worth.
He is the founder of BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate active in cement production, sugar refining and real estate. In early January 2020, Rabiu merged his privately-owned Obu Cement company with listed firm Cement Co. of Northern Nigeria, which he controlled.
The combined firm, called BUA Cement Plc, trades on the Nigerian stock exchange; Rabiu owns 98.5% of it. Rabiu, the son of a businessman, inherited land from his father. He set up his own business in 1988 importing iron, steel and chemicals.
Robert F. Smith
Net Worth: $6.7 Billion
Robert Frederick Smith is an American businessman, philanthropist, chemical engineer, and investor. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.
Mr. Smith is also the founding director and President of the Fund II Foundation. Started in 2014, the Foundation provides grants to fund efforts that conserve African American experiences and culture for future generations, rectify human rights abuses, promote music education for young people, protect the environment through advocacy and awareness of the benefits of the outdoors, and uphold vital American values such as empowerment, innovation and security for all.
David Steward
Net Worth: $5.8 Billion
David L. Steward is an American businessman. He is chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, one of the largest African-American-owned businesses in America. According to Forbes, in 2019 Steward was one of 13 black billionaires worldwide.
Patrice Motsepe
Net Worth: $3.3 Billion
South Africa’s richest Black man continues to grow his $3.3 billion net worth. Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe is a South African mining billionaire businessman. Since 12 March 2021, he has been serving as the President of the Confederation of African Football. He is the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, which has interests in gold, ferrous metals, base metals, and platinum.
Oprah Winfrey
Net Worth: $2.6 Billion
From talk show host to powerhouse, Oprah Winfrey has amassed a $2.6 billion empire. Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist.
Credited with creating a more intimate, confessional form of media communication, Winfrey popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue.
In 1994, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Winfrey has won many accolades throughout her career which including 18 Daytime Emmy Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Chairman’s Award.
Kanye West
Net Worth: $2 Billion
Say what you will about him, but Kanye West’s $2 billion net worth is a testament to his hardwork. Ye, commonly known by his former stage name Kanye West, is an American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer.
Rihanna
Net Worth: $1.7 Billion
The 34-year-old multi-hyphenate officially reached billionaire status back in 2021 with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. Forbes’ Madeline Berg attributed Rihanna’s wealth not to her music outputs, but to her wildly successful ventures into fashion and beauty. According to the publication’s recent report, RiRi’s stake in her Fenty Beauty—the fastest-growing cosmetics line—makes up the majority of her wealth.
The company, which she co-owns with luxury conglomerate LVMH, reportedly racked in more than $550 million in revenue in 2020. She also has a 30 percent stake in her Savage x Fenty lingerie line, which raised approximately $115 million in series B funding at a $1 billion valuation in early 2021.
Michael Jordan
Net Worth: $1.7 Billion
Even though he’s long since retired from the basketball court – he keeps making money. Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official National Basketball Association website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.
One of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation, Jordan is also known for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred as himself in the 1996 live-action animation hybrid film Space Jam and is the central focus of the Emmy Award-winning documentary miniseries The Last Dance (2020).
He became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats (now named the Hornets) in 2006, and bought a controlling interest in 2010. In 2014, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history.
Jay-Z
Net Worth: $1.4 Billion
H to the Izzo…Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, songwriter, record executive, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists in history.
Tyler Perry
Net Worth: $1 Billion
Tyler Perry proved that Black directors can bank thanks to his billionaire status. Perry is an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry’s films vary in style from orthodox filmmaking techniques to filmed productions of live stage plays.
On October 2, 2012, Perry struck an exclusive multi-year partnership with Oprah Winfrey and her Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The partnership was largely for the purposes of bringing scripted television to OWN, Perry having had previous success in this department.
Perry was included in Time‘s list of the 100 most influential people of 2020. In 2020, he was awarded the Governor’s Award from the Primetime Emmy Awards and the following year, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy Awards.
