Nigeria has 3 billionaires in Forbes’ 2026 Africa top 10 and 4 on the overall list — meet them, their rankings and net worth

• Nigeria has four billionaires on Forbes’ 2026 Africa Billionaires list.

• Aliko Dangote remains Africa’s richest person with a $28.5 billion fortune.

• Abdulsamad Rabiu and Mike Adenuga ranked third and sixth in Africa.

• Femi Otedola made the overall list with an estimated $1.3 billion net worth.

Nigeria has four businessmen on Forbes’ 2026 Africa Billionaires list, with three of them ranking among the continent’s top 10 richest people.

The list, released by Forbes, ranked Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote as Africa’s richest person, while Abdulsamad Rabiu and Mike Adenuga also made the continent’s top 10. Femi Otedola completed Nigeria’s representation on the overall billionaire list. 

Forbes said the 2026 ranking tracks African billionaires based on their estimated fortunes, calculated using stock prices and currency exchange rates as of March 1, 2026. The continent’s 23 billionaires were valued at a combined $126.7 billion, representing a 21 per cent increase from the previous year. 

Here are the four Nigerians on the Forbes 2026 Africa Billionaires list and their rankings:

Aliko Dangote retained his position as Africa’s richest person, ranking first on Forbes’ 2026 Africa Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $28.5 billion. 

The Nigerian businessman built his fortune through the Dangote Group, with major interests in manufacturing, particularly cement, sugar and other consumer products. His wealth also received attention following developments around the Dangote Refinery, one of Africa’s largest industrial projects. 

Forbes noted that Dangote’s fortune increased by $4.6 billion compared with the previous year, helped by the performance of Dangote Cement, whose shares rose significantly during the period. 

Abdulsamad Rabiu ranked third among Africa’s richest people, making him the second-highest Nigerian on the list.

Rabiu, the founder of BUA Group, had an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion. His businesses span industries including cement, food production and other diversified investments.

According to Forbes, Rabiu recorded one of the biggest wealth increases on the list, with his fortune rising by 120 per cent, or $6.1 billion, during the year. The increase was linked largely to the performance of BUA Cement shares. 

Telecommunications and oil businessman Mike Adenuga ranked sixth on the Forbes Africa Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $6.5 billion. 

Adenuga is the founder of Globacom, one of Nigeria’s major telecommunications companies, and also has interests in the oil sector through businesses including Conoil. 

His fortune has been built through investments across telecoms, oil and other sectors, making him one of Nigeria’s most prominent businessmen.

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Femi Otedola ranked 22nd on Forbes’ overall Africa Billionaires list, with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion.

Otedola built his first fortune through commodities before expanding into energy investments. He is known for his involvement in the power sector and investments in companies including Geregu Power. 

Forbes noted that Otedola’s fortune declined by about $200 million after he sold the majority of his stake in Geregu Power at a discount to the company’s market price. 

Nigeria ranked third among African countries with the highest number of billionaires on Forbes’ 2026 list, behind South Africa with seven billionaires and Egypt with five.