Forbes magazine released its list of the richest people in Africa this week. As usual, two Moroccan names return to this ranking: Aziz Akhannouch and Othmane Benjelloun. If the first is ranked as the 13th billionaire in Africa in 2022, the second follows suit, in 15th place.
The current head of government of Morocco thus maintains his first place in Morocco but drops to 1664th in the world, with a fortune estimated at 2.2 billion dollars in 2021, an increase compared to 2020. Forbes recalls that he is ” majority owner of the Akwa Group, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate founded by his father and a partner, Ahmed Wakrim, in 1932”, although he announced in September his “withdrawal from all management of the family holding company”. The latter “holds interests in oil, gas and chemicals through the listed companies Afriquia Gaz and Maghreb Oxygene”, we still recall.
For his part, Othmane Benjelloun, 89, comes in second place, with an estimated fortune of 1.5 billion dollars, also an increase compared to last year. Chairman and CEO of BMCE Bank Of Africa, he is ranked 2263rd in the world in this ranking.
Forbes finds that despite the global pandemic of the new coronavirus, billionaires in Africa “are richer than they have been in eight years”. “As a group, the continent’s 18 billionaires are worth around $84.9 billion, up 15% from a year ago. The average net worth is higher this year due to the current smaller number of members on this list.
These 18 billionaires from Africa, none of whom are new to the ranks, hail from seven different countries. Thus, South Africa and Egypt each have five billionaires, followed by Nigeria with three and Morocco with two. All of the continent’s billionaires are men.
