The faces of the world’s richest men and women are pretty familiar and their inventions, or businesses, pretty well known. Think Bill Gates and Microsoft, Jeff Bezos and Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook or Larry Page and Google. But then comes Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest man and a foremost entrepreneur, who is involved in a myriad of businesses, but who might lurk in the shadows when the world’s richest are mentioned.
Aliko Dangote is not your ordinary businessman. He is an incredibly ambitious investor, Africa’s Warren Buffett. He had been the richest man in Africa for well over 10 years. Although he is 63, and still seems to be starting his entrepreneurial journey, Dangote started his business journey as a very young man. In a few short years, he had become a top industrialist and, as of February 28, 2020, has an estimated net worth of USD9.8 billion, according to Forbes.