Forbes Magazine has released its annual Billionaires list, which features 2,460 wealthy individuals from all over the world.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that among this year’s distinguished list are three Nigerians, namely Aliko Dangote, AbdulSamad Rabiu, and Mike Adenuga.
Dangote is the President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, while Rabiu serves as the BUA Group Chairman, and Adenuga is the founder and boss of Globacom.
Forbes noted that this year’s Billionaires list is particularly noteworthy because it contains a few surprises. Despite the challenges of the past year, such as falling stocks, wounded unicorns, and rising interest rates, many of the world’s richest individuals have managed to maintain or even increase their wealth.
According to their findings, the combined net worth of the top 25 wealthiest individuals on the planet has dropped by $200 billion, from $2.3 trillion in 2022 to $2.1 trillion.
Topping the list for the first time ever is luxury goods mogul Bernard Arnault, whose net worth has skyrocketed by $53 billion to reach an impressive $211 billion. This surge in wealth can be attributed to the rise in shares of his company, LVMH.
Meanwhile, former richest person in the world, Elon Musk, has slipped to second place on the list after experiencing a significant reduction in his net worth by $39 billion. The drop in wealth is said to be due to his recent purchase of the social messaging app, Twitter.
According to Forbes’ annual billionaire ratings, one of the surprises this year imcludes the rise of BUA Group chairman Mr. Rabiu’s wealth from $7.6 billion a few months ago to $8.2 billion, making him the 249th richest person in the world. With this increase, the report has it that Mr. Rabiu is closing in on overtaking the third richest man in Africa, Nicky Oppenheimer, who has a net worth of $8.4 billion.
Forbes also noted that Mr. Dangote, who retained his position as the wealthiest person of African descent in the world, is the 125th richest man globally. His wealth, which was estimated at $14 billion in 2022, has grown to around $14.2 billion this year.
However, the news wasn’t so good for Mr. Adenuga, the third Nigerian on the African billionaire’s list, as Forbes reported that his net worth had decreased from $7.3 billion in 2022 to $6.1 billion this year.
“These are the only three Nigerians that made the list,” Forbes said.
