Africa is home to more than 20 dollar-denominated billionaires per the Forbes report index.
With fortunes made in oil, banking, telecoms, consumer goods, real estate, and technology, these business leaders have built companies that not only power economies but also stand among the largest employers of labour across the continent.
Yet beyond boardrooms and balance sheets, many of Africa’s wealthiest individuals have chosen to redefine their legacies through philanthropy.
From funding hospitals and universities to creating endowments that support entrepreneurship, education, health, and poverty alleviation, these billionaires are channeling their resources into transformative social impact.
While some of these philanthropists often give quietly, with little publicity, this report focuses on the most significant contributions that have been documented in the public domain.
Methodology
Nairametrics attempts to capture the biggest donors amongst African billionaires, leveraging on data available in monetary terms on their foundation websites as well as publicly verifiable coverage of such philanthropic acts as recognized by bodies such as Forbes, Bloomberg and the Times 100 within the period of the Covid-19 era, which elicited a lockdown in 2020 to present day 2025.
- Donations: $160 million +
Strive Masiyiwa, alongside his wife Tsitsi, ranks among Africa’s biggest philanthropists. Together, they co-founded the Higherlife Foundation in 1996, a platform initially set up to support orphaned children in Zimbabwe. Today, the foundation has grown into a leading force for education, healthcare, disaster relief, and rural transformation across Africa. The couple were recognised by the Time100 Philanthropy 2025.
Beyond philanthropy, Masiyiwa is the Founder and Chairman of Econet Group, a multinational telecommunications and technology company with operations spanning Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.
Key donations
- Delta Philanthropies (Till date): Invested $100 million in programs supporting employment opportunities and entrepreneurship.
- Healthcare & Crisis Response: Invested $60 million in health interventions, including HIV/AIDS, maternal health, and disaster relief projects.
- Beginnings Fund (2024) : Acted as a founding donor to the nearly $500 million fund aimed at improving newborn and maternal healthcare across Africa.
