Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
Metros Editor
EVEN for a lifestyle tabloid like this one, there was no question about which was the biggest story here – the presence of Africa’s richest man, Aliko in Haraee.
The massive impact of the billionaire businessman’s visit to Harare, where he met President Mnangagwa and signed some big deals, was felt everywhere.
It was the dominant story even on the social media streets as the sheer impact of the presence of the US$30 billion man dwarfed just about everything in this country.
Dangote is the richest man in Africa, and has been for some time now, with a net value of a staggering US30,66 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Forbes estimate his net value to be US$26,2 billion.
He was the first Nigerian billionaire in 2007.
Dangote has been on the Forbes Billionaires’ List since 2008 when he announced his entrance into a group of the world’s richest people with a net worth of US$3,3 billion.
It represented a significant milestone for a man who started his business with a US$500,000 loan from his uncle.
Just five years after he announced his rival in the league of the world’s richest people, Dangote had boosted his net worth by six times, as he became the first African to have a net worth of US$20 billion.
That was in June 2013.
Dangote is the world’s richest black man.
He is also a passionate football fan and is a big supporter of English giants Arsenal.
He has been linked with buying the Gunners on several occasions.
Last year, he revealed that he decided against buying Arsenal after choosing to complete the US$20 billion Dangote Refinery instead.
“I regret not buying Arsenal before. But my money was needed in completing my projects than buying Arsenal. I would have bought it for US$2 billion,” he told the Nigerian media.
“But I wouldn’t have been able to finish my project.
“The choice was to either finish my projects or go and buy Arsenal.
“I think the best decision was to go and complete our refineries which a lot of people didn’t believe it was going to be completed.”
Dangote, with a net worth of US$30,6 billion, is more valuable than the world’s six most valuable football clubs – Real Madrid (US$6,75 billion), Manchester United (US$5,65 billion), Barcelona (US$5,65 billion), Liverpool (US$5,4 billion), Manchester City (US$5,3 billion) and Bayern Munich (US$5,1 billion) – combined.
Collectively, the six super clubs are valued at US$28 billion, which falls short of Dangote’s net worth of US$30,6 billion.
Real Madrid are the first football club to earn annual revenues in excess of US$1 billion.
Only the Dallas Cowboys, the iconic National Football League franchise in the United States, are the other sports team to generate annual revenues of over US$1 billion.
If Dangote had decided to buy Arsenal, he would also have afforded to buy the world’s most expensive passenger plane, the jumbo Airbus A380-800, which is worth about US$445,6 million, as his club’s transport plane.
He would also have afforded to buy the most expensive private island this year, the Indian Creek Island in Miami, Florida, and transform it as a base for his football club.
The island was sold for US$105 million.
Dangote’s net worth is thirty times more than the huge price which this Miami island was sold for.
It was not until last year that Marvel Studios achieved a US$30 billion record-breaking global box-office feat after Deadpool & Wolverine made an impressive start worldwide.
When one considers that Marvel Studios have produced some blockbuster movies like Avengers, Black Panther, Avengers and Iron Man, for them to take until last year to reach the US$30 billion mark, it puts into context how big this figure is.
In today’s world, it’s the American billionaires like Elon Musk who now dominate the landscape of the rich and famous.
But, it was not always the case and Dangote comes from a part of the continent, West Africa, which has a proud history of producing very rich men.
For it was in this part of the world that the man, who is widely regarded as the richest person to have ever lived, came from.
His name is Mansa Musa, a 14th-century king of the Mali Empire which ruled over what is present day Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mauritania, Gambia, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote d’Ivoire.
Musa’s wealth was so vast that historians say they could not calculate it and have always struggled to put a number to it – something which is probably understandable when one takes into account the vast area he was in charge of, which included 24 cities.
To get a proper understanding of how big Dangote is, when it comes to the rich men’s club, one has to look at the black men and women who trail him on the list of the richest black billionaires in the world.
American businessman, David Steward, whose source of world is in IT, has a net worth US$11,4 billion.
He is the richest black American.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan has a net worth of US$3,5 billion.
Jordan is reported to have earned US$90 million in salaries during his time in the NBA but the billions have come from his marketing deals, which have seen him earn more than US$2,4 billion.
He has made more money since he retired than what he made at the peak of his athletic powers.
Oprah Winfrey, the American television icon, is worth about US$3 billion, which she earned from a quarter-of-a-century hosting the Opprah Winfrey Show and acting in a number of Hollywood movies.
Then, there is Jay-Z.
The rap mogul is worth US$2,5 billion.
“Since becoming hip-hop’s first billionaire in 2019, Jay-Z has more than doubled his fortune, driven by his high-end liquor ventures,” says the peopleofcolurintech.com website.
“In 2021, luxury giant LVMH bought a 50% stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac, also known as Ace of Spades. He followed that with a major deal in 2023, selling a majority share of his cognac label D’Usse to Bacardi.
“Beyond beverages, Jay-Z’s portfolio includes a valuable art collection featuring works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, his music catalogue, and investments in companies like Block and Uber.”
Mathew Masinge