Richest Black People In The World

Michael Lee-Chin’s wealth stems from his company Portland Holdings Inc. based in Ontario, Canada. The Jamaican-born businessman was born to Afro-Chinese parents in Portland Port Antonio, Jamaica, and after years of education in Canada and various jobs back in his home country, he became a financial advisor for Investors Group. From there, he rebranded what was known as AIC, set up the Berkshire group, and led investors through the dotcom crash in the positive. He’s Managed billions, therefore his worth is a reflection of the trust investors had in him.

Jay-Z is the modern rapper’s ideal role model, and a traditional rags to riches story with an exceptional upside. From his respected and awarded musical career, to his talent agency Roc Nation, and other business endeavors like 40/40 Club sports bar, running music service Tidal, and his cannabis company Monogram, Jay-Z is known as the first rap billionaire. His 140 million records sold and 24 Grammys attest to his popularity, and his marriage to Beyoncé certainly helps. His influence is also permanently marked in both the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Hall of Fames, where he was officially the first solo rapper inducted.

Michael Jordan is forever the NBA’s most beloved player, because what he did during his years with the Chicago Bulls was nothing short of remarkable. The 6-time champ and 5-time MVP had more records than entire decades of players combined, and his post-playing career shoe endeavors alongside Nike with the Air Jordan model is still one of the most sought after shoes today. The Hall of Famer is widely considered the greatest that will ever play based on his era, and his many accolades back that up. He also currently owns the Charlotte Hornets, which initially made him the NBA’s first playing billionaire.

Patrice Motsepe is the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Materials, which is a mining company that focuses on gold and platinum, among other precious metals. Not only is he South Africa’s richest man, but he’s also now the President of the Confederation of African Football as of 2021. He too is signed up for The Giving Pledge, and his wife is actually also quite successful both in physiology and fashion, proving this family’s ability to run a successful business and do so while advocating for entrepeneurialship around the continent is valiant.

Isabel Dos Santos is certainly a controversial figure on this list, since currently many of her assets are frozen and pending investigation, as she is being tried for corruption in Angola, Netherlands, and Portugal. She’s the eldest daughter of Angola’s former dictator Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, and she is thought to have gained most of her wealth through her family’s connections, and this corruption has her under fire, taking residence in the U.A.E and being banned from U.S., along with her immediate family, it’s likely this wealth is a thing of the past.

Another African involved in the tech industry, Strive Masiyiwa is the founder and executive chairman of Econet Global. He studied electrical engineering in Scotland and then returned to his home country of Zimbabwe after the Rhodesian Bush War, but when he was tested by the government over his telecom ventures, he moved Econet to South Africa, backed by many people who saw his vision as cellular technology boomed nearing 2000. The rest is history, and lately he’s sat on many boards, including Unilever, Netflix, the Rockefeller Foundation, and National Geographic. He’s also highly involved in philanthropy, supporting orphans with education and contributing over 250,000 scholarships over that past 20 years.

Let’s face it, everyone knows Oprah. He talk show was one of the most watched television shows of the ‘90s and ‘00s, and her evolution to her OWN (literally) Network is a testament to her producing and writing talents. She’s also an acclaimed author, and notable philanthropist in many ways. She was the only black billionaire at one point, and not a single African American has given back more than Winfrey in U.S. history. She’s received the presidential medal of freedom, in addition to honorary doctorates at Duke and Harvard, and that’s certainly why she was the winner of 18 daytime Emmys. Her wide variety of achievements are worthy considering her hard work.

David Steward is a homegrown American businessman who graduated college, worked various sales and account executive positions, before moving into technology’s supply chain industry. With that experience he founded World Wide Technology, an integration system that grouped imaging, conversion and telecommunication services. He split off a division and named it TelcoBuy, a supply chain management company. To this day, it’s one of the largest private companies in the midwest.

This investor is one of the private equity industry’s most familiar faces, as most know Robert Smith as the founder, chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. He got his start in chemical engineering after graduating from Cornell, and then worked for Goodyear and Kraft. He then used his business masters to work for Goldman Sachs, before founding Vista Equity Partners in 2000. This venture capital firm continues to thrive, earning investors a substantial 30% consistently since its inception with a now 4th place ranking in enterprise software shareholding in the U.S.

Aliko Dangote’s credentials are top of his class. He’s the richest black person in the world (75th overall), and the richest person in Africa as a whole thanks to his industrial conglomerate, which is the largest in all of West Africa. His nearly $20 billion in net worth is exceptional, as the Dangote Group had humble beginnings starting from a basic trading group that eventually gained traction and partnered logistically with the Bank of Nigeria to cut import costs. Today it’s a full-fledged industrial production facilitator, employing over 11,000 Africans, providing sugar, flour and cement.

Mike Adenuga is a familiar face in Africa, as the multi-faceted businessman has his hands in telecom, banking, and oil, three of the most lucrative industries on the continent. His company Globocom is the second largest in Africa, and despite not receiving the ability to license GSMs until 2003, he began in oil exploration after receiving a drilling license in 1991. His company Conoil was the first commercial company of its kind, and his stake in banking is yet another sector he’s expounded upon through financial investments.

Al-Amoudi’s background is diverse, as the Ethiopian-born businessman had a native mother and Yemeni father, before moving to Saudi Arabia. He began in construction and real estate, and his company built Saudi Arabia’s $30 million underground oil storage facility. He then moved into purchasing oil interests in Sweden and Morocco, where he would build his empire and become the second richest African. He’s still heavily involved in multiple Ethiopian business ventures, including Addis Tyre, and Addis Ababa Sheraton.

Rihanna is another younger face on this list, as the barely 30-year-old has already expanded from her music career into acting, and more notably, business. Her brand Fenty Beauty cosmetics and fashion company has been sprawling since its inception, and the Barbados native has also been dubbed ambassador of education, tourism and investment of her home island. Her music is also some of the most famous ever, being the second best-selling artist of all-time, with 250 million records sold. She also has 9 Grammys and 13 American Music Awards among many others.

Tope Awotona had a tragic childhood experience that saw his family move from Nigeria to Atlanta, where he would go on to study business management and computer science at the University of Georgia. After selling software for some time, he founded Calendly, the scheduling and communication platform for businesses. He founded it because he had trouble scheduling sales calls, and thanks to a small business loan, his dream has since earned millions of dollars in funding, which Awotona translated in a billion dollar company and industry leader.

You may know him as “Money Mayweather,” but there’s no denying that the championship boxer literally fought his way onto this list. Mayweather retired in 2017 undefeated, finishing with 15 major world championships in super featherweight to light middleweight classes. He’s consistently been praised and recognized as the best of his class pound-for-pound on nearly every list. He was also a promoter, earning the highest revenue from Pay-Per-View contests ever, surpassing some of the greats. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and is the 6th-highest earning athlete of all time at $1.2 billion accounting for inflation.

President Barack Obama’s net worth is actually much higher than what he makes annually, considering his presidential salary as well as the one he gets now are miniscule compared to if he could sit on boards at companies. However, his influence and popularity have allowed him to do everything from narration, to film production, and running his Obama Foundation. He’s also a renowned author, and now podcast producer, allowing his love of stories to flourish across all mediums.

Halle Berry’s acting career alongside her modeling career set her up to have multiple avenues of success. She was one of the highest paid female actresses of the ‘00s, especially after winning an Academy Award for her role in 2001’s Monster’s Ball. She’s also been an ambassador for Revlon since 1996, and that followed her runner up finish in the 1986 Miss USA pageant, and sixth place finish in the Miss World competition. Clearly, Berry was born with the looks to achieve stardom.

Janet Jackson is the most popular sister of the Jackson family, and second most famous only to her brother Michael. She’s widely known for her sensual style of music, coupled with outstanding choreography that changed the way live performances, especially on TV, are produced today. Her 100 million albums sold make her one of the most successful female recording artists ever, and probably the second best-selling dance club artist only behind Madonna. She’s heavily awarded, of course, and is one of the most influential performers ever.

Mo Salah has burst onto the international soccer scene thanks to his success for English Premier League club Liverpool, and his leadership for his home national team of Egypt. Known for his speed and ball skills, he’s considered one of the best current footballers in the world, and one of the greatest Africans ever. Winning each of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup titles during his time at Liverpool since 2017, his play has been integral to the club’s success. He’s also won 3 Golden Boots, and Player and Playmaker of the season.

This F1 star has become a worldwide phenomenon, especially thanks to the boundaries he’s pushed in a historically white-dominated sport. Lewis Hamilton is arguably the most successful driver in series history, as his 7 titles are tied with Michael Schumacher all-time. He’s racked up the most wins, pole positions, and podium finishes ever, allowing his marketability and brand ambassadorship to multiply significantly. He’s still the only black driver to ever race in the series, making him a trailblazer worthy of even more than his value monetarily.

Metheba is one of South Africa’s most beloved media personalities, showcasing her talents on television, radio and social media and quickly becoming one of the richest women in all of Africa. She became recognized for being featured on multiple magazine covers, and rose to fame initially on the SABC 1 music show LIVE. She also started her own reality show called B*Dazzled, and was the first international ambassador for Revlon beginning in 2013. She also hosts her own E! News special highlighting Africa.

KD is one of the most recent players to be hailed as a greatest of all-time caliber talent, and his production in the NBA since his arrival backs it up. He has two championships and Finals MVPs to his name, and an additional two league MVP awards. He’s a 12-time All Star and also has major endorsement deals with Foot Locker and Nike, including a signature shoe, which is warranted for the 4-time scoring champ. He’s also contributing writing and acting to his resume, so who’s to say what else Durant will do when he hangs up the sneakers.

Sevetri Wilson is one of the youngest black entrepreneurs in the world right now, and she founded both a strategic communications agency called Solid Ground Innovations as well as a tech startup called Resilia. Together, she combined capital and networking to become a millionaire by just age 22, and her wealth is likely to keep increasing exponentially in the coming years. In fact, she already has a book published informing you how to do the same.

Stephen Curry is the pioneer for the new age of the NBA, combining insane levels of talent and technical ability into a playing style that’s changed the game as we knew it. Not only is his calculated approach to the game statistically breaking records, his efficiency, health regimen, and psychological approach has proven how tech can change the game today. His four championships and two MVP awards almost seem too low, and his scoring abilities are something that will be talked about for years to come, long after he’s no longer playing.

The Rock is easily one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment, and when you really think about it, what has this guy not done yet? From bursting onto the scene as a wrestler after a failed football career, he moved effortlessly into acting, appearing in seemingly anything and everything, obviously making him one of the highest paid, and highest grossing actors to ever grace Hollywood. But what makes him marketable is his genuinely big and caring personality, as he’s been known to give back in numerous ways, and has various philanthropic initiatives.

Clarene Wooten is an unlikely Silicon Valley success story, as he was dubbed a “unicorn” for his first tech business, ImageCafe.com, which he sold for $23 million in 1999. He was subsequently able to begin investing in other companies, such as organizations to help close the gap between funding for black entrepreneurs, as well as a real time marketplace to connect founders and investors in real time. His story was especially highlighted due to his inner city education to big tech pipeline.

Kevin Hart is one of the most popular African American comedians since Dave Chapelle, and his hold on the entertainment industry is very clear, as his face appears in commercials, featured films, and streaming specials constantly. His acting roles have blasted his fame to new heights though, whereas his traditional stand-up days got him to this point. His comedic style has often been praised for his charismatic nature and wide variety of comedic subjects, providing a little something for everyone.

Another Nigerian oil executive, Femi Otedola was the former chairman of Forte Oil PLC, which imported products for Nigeria and surrounding areas. He also founded Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, in addition to owning other business ventures in finance, real estate and shipping. Most of his work currently involves energy generation in hopes of making Africa more self-sustainable.

Pharrell Williams has come a long way since starting out with the Neptunes. The singer, rapper, producer, and writer went on to become a vocalist in N.E.R.D, produces some of the most popular albums of the 21st century, and has 13 Grammys to his name in addition to some other outstanding accolades like Producer of the Year and even an Academy Award for “Happy,” in addition to producing the film Hidden Figures.

Jeff Badu is on this list as an inspirational story, as this former gang member turned millionaire is giving back and hoping to educate his community that others can do the same with the right resources. The Ghanain native moved to Chicago, and after a life-changing trip back to his homeland at age 16, he came back and strived to do more. He now sits atop the board of multiple companies, including real estate investment, car rental, and tax prep, in addition to hosting a financial literacy radio show in Chicago each Monday.