The combined wealth of Africa’s 24 billionaires reached an estimated $168.2 billion in September 2026, widening the wealth gap over their 26 Middle Eastern Arab counterparts to nearly $56.4 billion.
According to a comparative wealth calculation published by Business Insider Africa, the fortune gap between Africa’s top billionaires and the $111.8 billion held by Arab billionaires across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Qatar has nearly doubled over the past six months.
The surge in African billionaire wealth has been driven predominantly by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, whose net worth rose to $51.3 billion following updated valuations of the Dangote Refinery, making him individually wealthier than the Middle East’s two richest Arab billionaires, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal ($24.8 billion) and Hussain Sajwani ($15.3 billion), combined.
While African industrial fortunes expanded by roughly $32.4 billion overall since March 2026 through gains in energy, cement, commodities, and manufacturing, Middle Eastern wealth growth remained subdued at $6.5 billion due to property market fluctuations and regional geopolitical pressures.
–ChannelAfrica–
