Nigeria’s business mogul, Alhaji
Aliko Dangote, is the 43rd richest man on earth today, according to the 2013
list of world’s billionaires, compiled by Forbes Magazine. He is worth
$16.1 billion, with assets from his cement, sugar, flour and other businesses.
He is number one in Nigeria and Africa. LEADERSHIP recalls that Dangote was
number 76 on the list last year.
Mexico’s Carlos Slim, who has
taken a hit from the slump in the share price of his America Movil telecoms
group since the list was calculated as of February 14, remained the richest
person with a fortune of $73 billion, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates held
on to the No. 2 spot with a net worth of $67 billion.
Spain’s Amancio Ortega, the
co-founder of the Inditex fashion group, leapt over Warren Buffett and France’s
Bernard Arnault to become the world’s third richest person on Forbes’ 2013
annual ranking of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $57 billion.
Ortega’s fortune increased $19.5
billion, the biggest gain for any of the billionaires, from the report in 2012.
He jumped two places and bumped Buffett, chairman and chief executive of
conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc, with a fortune of $53.5 billion out of the
top three to the No. 4 spot for the first time since 2000.
“Warren had a great year, it’s
just that Amancio Ortega had a better year,” Forbes magazine editor Randall
Lane said of the co-founder of Zara. “He has one of the dominant apparel lines
in Europe.”
Arnault, of the LVMH luxury goods
group, dropped to 10th place with $29 billion.
Slim, 73, made much of his fortune
in telecommunications but also branched out into retail, commodities, finance
and energy.
“To see Carlos Slim again broaden
his lead and certify himself as the richest man in the world is a statement
that wealth truly is global and not an American monopoly like it sometimes felt
for many decades,” Lane added in an interview.
Dangote, 55, retains his position
as Africa’s richest man for the third year in a row. The past year has been
eventful for him. In October, he sold off a controlling stake in his flour
milling company to Tiger Brands of South Africa. He pocketed $190 million in
cash. In February, his Dangote Sugar Refineries acquired a 95 per cent stake in
Nigerian sugar producer Savannah Sugar in a bid to maintain its dominant
position in the Nigerian sugar industry. Dangote stepped up his philanthropy in
the past year, giving over $100 million to causes ranging from education to
health, flood relief, poverty alleviation and the arts. He also acquired a
yacht, which he named after his mother Amiya.
The second Nigerian on the list is
Otunba Mike Adenuga, who is 267th richest on earth, second in Nigeria and 5th
in Africa. Adenuga, 59, owns Globacom — Nigeria’s second largest
telecommunication’s firm, Conoil and some stake in Sterling Bank Nigeria. He
founded Globacom in 2006. It has 24 million customers in Nigeria, operates in
the Republic of Benin and recently acquired licences to start businesses in Ghana
and the Ivory Coast. His Conoil Producing is one of Nigeria’s largest
independent exploration companies, with a production capacity of 100,000
barrels of oil per day.
The Forbes billionaire’s list of
2013 has newcomers. There’s also upward and downward shift for some. Carlos
Slim Helu, 73, of Mexico and family remains the richest in the world with $73
billion; Bill Gates, 57, is second with $67 billion. Amancio Ortega, 76, of
Spain leapt to third place, with $57 billion, keeping famous investor Warren Buffet,
82, at 4th place, with 53.5 billion. Oracle founder, Larry Ellison, 68, is 5th
with $43 billion.
Other famous people on the list
include Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page, 39, who, with $23 billion, is
20th on the list. Fellow co-founder Sergey Brin, 39, is 21st with $22.8
billion. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 28, is 66th on the list with $13.3
billion. Oprah Winfrey, 59, is the 503rd person with $2.8 billion. Many of the
billionaires give millions in philanthropy every year.
Source: Leadership
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