Richest Black People (Forbes) 2017

Forbes recently released a list of top 10 richest black billionaires in the world. Of the 2,043 people who made it to the 2017 Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires, 10 of them are black, down from 12 a year ago.

 Below is a list of them: 

1. Aliko Dangote ($12.2 billion) Aliko Dangote GCON is a Nigerian billionaire, who owns the Dangote Group, which has interests in commodities. The Nigerian cement tycoon is still the richest black person in the world.

 2. Mohammed Al-Amoudi ($8.4billion) Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-'Amoudi is a Saudi Arabian and Ethiopian billionaire businessman. In 2016, his net worth was estimated by Forbes at approximately $10.9 billion. It has reduced but he is still second place. 

3. Mike Adenuga ($6.1 billion) Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jr is a Nigerian business tycoon, and the second-richest person in Nigeria. 

4. Isabel Dos Santos ($3.1 billion) Isabel dos Santos is an Angolan businesswoman considered by Forbes to be the richest woman in Africa. She is the daughter of Angola's President José Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled the country since 1979. A Forbes magazine article described in 2013 how Isabel dos Santos acquired her wealth by taking stakes in companies doing business in Angola, suggesting that her wealth comes almost entirely from her family's power and connections. 

5. Oprah Winfrey ($3 billion) Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. 

6. Robert Smith ($2.5 billion) Robert Frederick Smith is an African American businessman, investor and philanthropist. A former chemical engineer and investment banker, he is the founder, chairman and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. 

7. Patrice Motsepe ($1.81 billion) Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe is a South African mining magnate. He is the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, which has interests in gold, ferrous metals, base metals, and platinum. 

8. Folorunsho Alakija ($1.61 billion) Folorunso Alakija is a Nigerian businesswoman, one of the richest African women and also one of the richest black women in the world. In 2014 she unseated Oprah Winfrey as the richest woman of African descent in the world.

 9. Michael Jordan ($1.31 billion) Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player, businessman, and principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets. 

10. Mohammed Ibrahim ($1.14 billion) Dr Mohammed "Mo" Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British mobile communications entrepreneur and billionaire. He worked for several other telecommunications companies before founding Celtel, which when sold had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries.