Meet Forbes Black billionaires for 2025 – BBC

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Forbes don release dia annual World Billionaires list. Overall, na 3,028 billionaires make di list dis year, dia combine wealth reach a record $16.1 trillion.
Among di pipo wey make di list, 23 na ogbonge pipo wit Black human race and African history.
Di total money for dis 23 pipo reach $96.2 billion, and na mainly from di finance, energy and technology sectors.
See di 23 Black race billionaires for di world:
Net Worth: $23.9 billion
Source of Wealth: Cement, sugar
Kontri: Nigeria
Di founder and CEO of Dangote Group begin di process of building Africa largest oil and gas refinery for 2013. Afta 11 years, $23 billion in investment and innumerable headaches, di Dangote Refinery finally begin operation for early 2024, dis help boost Dangote fortune by $10.5 billion since last year list.
Net Worth: $11.4 billion
Source of Wealth: IT provider
Kontri: U.S.
Di richest Black American cofound World Wide Technology, dem dey provide IT solutions to customers like Citi and Verizon, For 1990.
Im still serve as chairman of di private company, wey now get nearly 10,000 employees and dey generate $20 billion in annual revenue.
Net Worth: $10.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Private equity
Kontri: U.S.
Smith found $100 billion (assets under management) Vista Equity Partners, di largest Black-owned private equity firm for United States, for 2000. Im still dey run di firm, wey get more dan 700 employees and dem dey focus exclusively on investing in software companies.
Net Worth: $8.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Software firm
Kontri: U.S.
Karp na di co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, na data mining company wey customers include FBI, di Department of Defense and oda goment agencies.
Palantir go public for 2020 and now dem get a market capitalization of nearly $200 billion.
Net Worth: $6.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Telecom, oil
Kontri: Nigeria
Adenuga bin make im first $1 million at di age 26 as a commodities trader. Now im be one of di richest pipo for Africa thanks to im mobile phone network, Globacom, and im oil exploration outfit, Conoil.
Net Worth: $5.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Cement, sugar
Kontri: Nigeria
Abdulsamad Rabiu na di founder of BUA Group, one Nigerian conglomerate wey dey active for cement production, sugar refining and real estate.
Im bin launch di company for 1988 and im still dey serve as chairman and CEO.
Through im foundation, di Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative, im also dey support education, health and social development projects across Africa.
Net Worth: $3.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Charlotte Hornets, endorsements
Kontri: U.S.
Most pipo rate am as di greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan win six NBA titles wit Chicago Bulls. Im salary during im career total na $90 million, but im don earn more dan $2.4 billion (pretax) from corporate partners like Nike, Hanes and Gatorade.
For 2023, Jordan sell im majority stake for Charlotte Hornets for deal wey value di NBA franchise at $3 billion. Today, im be one of just four Black Americans for Forbes 400 ranking of di kontri richest pipo.
Net Worth: $3 billion
Source of Wealth: Mining
Kontri: South Africa
Motsepe na di founder and chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, one diversified mining and minerals company wit operations for South Africa and Malaysia.
For 2008, im become di first Black African on di World Billionaires list.
Net Worth: $3 billion
Source of Wealth: TV shows
Kontri: U.S.
Her hit talk show bin run for 25 years, until 2011, wen she reinvest di profits from di program and films like The Colour Purple and Selma into a media and business empire.
For 2011, she launch cable channel OWN and sell most of her stock to Warner Bros. Discovery in 2020.
Net Worth: $2.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Music
Kontri: U.S.
One of di greatest hip-hop musicians of all-time, Jay-Z don win 25 Grammys and im don launch multiple businesses, including di fashion brand Rocawear (wey sell for $204 million for 2007) and alcohol lines D'Usse and Armand de Brignac.
Na 2019 im become di first hip-hop billionaire.
Net Worth: $2.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Private equity
Kontri: U.S.
Im roots na from Nigeria and now im be U.S. citizen, Ogunlesi na him be di founding partner, chairman and CEO of New York-based private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP)
For October, BlackRock acquire GIP for $12.5 billion in cash and shares.
Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Basketball, investments
Kontri: U.S.
Following im retirement from NBA for 1996, Johnson begin invest,on opening movie theaters and Starbucks franchises, often for Black communities.
Majority of im fortune come from a 60% ownership stake for life insurance company Equitrust, wey don grow from $16 billion in assets under management to $27 billion since im take ova for 2015.
Johnson also own small equity stakes for four sports teams, including the NFL Washington Commanders and di reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Energy, utilities
Kontri: Nigeria
Otedola make im first fortune for commodities bifor im sell im shares for Forte Oil to invest for di energy business.
Today, im be di chairman and majority owner of Geregu Power, a power generation business, wey oda investors include Nigerian goment and di State Grid Corporation of China.
Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Software
Kontri: United States
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Awotona move to Atlanta wen im just be 15, wia im study computer science for University of Georgia bifor im switch majors to business and management information.
For 2013, im forn Calendly, one scheduling software startup, wey private investors value at $3 billion in 2021.
Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Movies, television
Kontri: U.S.
Perry, build one platform wey be di second highest-paid TV showrunner, achieve im billionaire status for 2020.
Im dey well known for im "Madea" movie franchise, wey don gada more dan $660 million.
Im also own a quarter of di streaming platform BET+ and a 330-acre studio for Atlanta.
Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Golf
Kontri: U.S.
Ova di course of im golf career, Woods don win 15 major championships (second only to Jack Nicklaus), 82 PGA Tour tournaments (tie for first wit Sam Snead) and im don win more prize money ($122 million) pass any player in PGA history.
However, di majority of Woods' earnings come from im lucrative brand deals, most famously wit Nike.
Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Music, cosmetics
Kontri: Barbados
Dem Born her as Robyn Fenty for Barbados—Rihanna na her middle name—she become billionaire thanks to her cosmetics company, Fenty Beauty, wey she co-own wit French luxury conglomerate LVMH.
Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Source of Wealth: Communications
Kontri: UK
Ibrahim na im be di founder of Celtel International, one of di first mobile phone companies wey dey serve Africa and di Middle East, for 1998.
Seven years later, im sell Celtel to Kuwait Mobile Telecommunications Company for $3.4 billion and pocket $1.4 billion.
Since den, im dey focused on fighting corrupt leadership for Africa through di Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Source of Wealth: Basketball
Kontri: U.S
For 2022, na im James become di first active basketball player to become billionaire, afta im earn more dan $900 million (pretax) from endorsements and business ventures.
James na 21-time NBA All-Star player, four-time NBA champion, and four-time NBA MVP.
Net Worth: $1.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Telecom
Kontri: Zimbabwe
Masiyiwa na di founder of Econet Group for 1993 and im build am into a telecom conglomerate wit operations and investments throughout Africa, South America and Asia.
Im still dey serves as chairman of di company and also dey sit on di boards of di Gates Foundation and Netflix.
Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Mutual funds
Kontri: Canada
Lee-Chin make im money from investing in financial institutions including di National Commercial Bank Jamaica and AIC Limited.
Im sell im AIC to Canadian financial services group Manulife for 2009 for an undisclosed price, but still own 60% of National Commercial Bank Jamaica, wey account for nearly half im fortune.
Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Healthcare
Kontri: U.S.
Na newcomer to dis year list, Tabuteau na di founder of Axsome Therapeutics, wey im start for 2012 wit di goal of developing life-changing treatments for millions of patients wey dey live wit brain disorders.
Im own 15% of Axsome, wey im take public for 2015. Prior to owning di company, Tabuteau bin work for healthcare finance, including as a partner for hedge fund Healthco/S.A.C. Capital.
Net Worth: $1 billion
Source of Wealth: Cable TV, hotels
Citizenship: U.S.
Anoda newcomer to dis year list, Johnson di cofounder cable network BET wit her then-husband, Robert Johnson, for 1979, and sell am to Viacom for $3 billion in 2001.
Now, she be di founder of hospitality firm di Salamander Collection, wey dey operates hotels and resorts for Washington, D.C., Charleston and Jamaica, among oda destinations.
Through her investment for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, she also own stakes for di WNBA Washington Mystics, NBA Washington Wizards and NHL Washington Capitals.
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