Africa is a great continent whose massive growth has been evident over the years and its has seen many Africans amass such a huge wealth, becoming influential on the continent and globally
Interestingly, some of these wealthy people in Africa are women. Their hard work, zeal, and resilience have seen them riding on top of the world to achieve greatness.
African women have managed to grow their wealth and, at the same time, develop their country’s economy and are sometimes behind some of the most successful business brands across the world.
Here is a detailed list of some of the richest women in the world:
1. Isabel dos Santos – $2.8 billion
Isabel dos Santos is the oldest daughter of the former president of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Isabel has been rated as the richest woman in Africa by Forbes. She is believed to be the backbone of various companies in both Angola and Portugal.
She is the board of directors of many companies and has a soft spot for businesses oriented in diamonds and oil. The beauty has shares in the Angolan cement company Ciminvest as well as the Banco Africano de Investimentos.
She also has more than 14 per cent of major stakes in Portuguese media conglomerate Zon multimedia.
2. Folorunsho Alakija – $1.54 billion
Alakija is a renowned fashion designer and executive director of FAMFA OIL. She is also the director of the Rose of Sharon Group. She has previously held prominent positions in Nigeria, such as secretary of the currently non-operational International Merchant Bank of Nigeria.
She studied in the United Kingdom, and after completion of her studies, she opened the leading and largest fashion design house in Nigeria. In 1993, her oil company was awarded by then President Ibrahim Babbangida an oil license.
3. Ngina Kenyatta – $1 billion
Popularly known as Mama Ngina, she is the widow of the first president of Kenya. She is one of the wealthiest women in Africa. She has amassed for herself massive wealth throughout the years.
Her businesses are cut across real estate, finance, farming, education, hospitality, and insurance. She is a major shareholder in one of the leading financial banks in Kenya, the Commercial Bank of Africa, and hotels.
The family is also a market leader in the dairy industry, and they own massive land plantations and ranches in Kenya.
4. Divine Ndhlukula – $809 million
Born in Zimbabwe, the beauty owns one of the most successful security companies in the country. She has held positions in Zimbabwe prominent companies such as Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp, where she worked before joining Old Mutual and later Intermarket.
She then founded SECURICO, a popular security company whose mandate was to provide quality protection services to businesses across the country.
5. Haija Bola Shagaya – $630 million
Haija Bola Shagaya has immensely grown her wealth in the business and real estate arenas. She is also a famous fashionista in Nigeria. She kick-started her career at the Central Bank of Nigeria where she served as an auditor.
She is the founder of Bolmus Group International, which deals with real estate, oil, and banking. She is a board member of Unity Bank PLC and deeply involved in photography and communication businesses.
The beautiful woman is also a board member of the National Economic Partnership for Africa Development.
