We are all familiar with Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Nigeria and the whole of Africa, whose current worth is estimated at $16.4 billion according to Bloomberg.
He is followed by Nassef Sawiris, an Egyptian billionaire and business magnate who runs the most lucrative part of his family’s business Empire. According to Forbes, Nassef Sawiris is worth $8.5bn and is currently the 297th richest man in the world.
READ: Aliko Dangote is the only African among the world’s 100 richest peopl
Meet the Sawiris family
The Sawiris family is the richest family in Egypt with vast investments and companies in nearly all sectors of the nation’s economy. The patriarch of the Sawiris family is Onsi Sawiris. The 90 years old business magnate started the business in 1950 and has successfully transferred it to his two sons, Nassef and Naguib.
Nassef is the younger of the sons and also the richest.
READ: Dangote’s stakes in his sugar enterprise has earned him N90 billion in 365 days
Nassef Sawiris ($8.5bn)
Nassef Sawiris owns and runs Orascom construction, the construction arm of the Sawiris family business. He also has several personal investments and dealings aside from the family business. Here is a brief outline of his major business portfolios and investments according to Forbes.
- He runs OCI, one of the world’s largest nitrogen fertilizer producers, with plants in Texas and Iowa.
- He runs Orascom construction, one of the biggest construction companies in Egypt.
- He has a 5% stake in Adidas and sits on the supervisory board of the company. This is his biggest and most lucrative investment according to Forbes.
- Nassef Sawiris has a huge stake in West African Cement Company, Lafarge Holcim.
- His latest acquisition is a 5% stake in New York-listed firm, Madison Square Garden Sports, owner of the NBA Knicks and the NHL Rangers teams.
READ: Jeff Bezos is world’s richest man, as Elon Musk loses $15 billion in a day
What you should know
Nassef Sawiris and Aliko Dangote share similarities in the sense that they both enjoy immense support from the Egyptian and Nigerian government respectively.
Hope he’s not a monopolist like Dangote.