These 10 powerful CEOs lead the largest companies in Africa

Africa’s stock exchanges have grown into a roughly $2 trillion market, bringing together more than 1,100 listed companies across the continent’s capital markets, according to the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA).

But that value is spread across very different markets. South Africa remains the continent’s largest listed market, while Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana also host sizeable exchanges with companies spanning banking, telecommunications, mining, manufacturing, consumer goods and other key sectors. The OECD estimates that South Africa, Morocco and Egypt alone account for about 80% of Africa’s total stock market capitalisation in 2025.

For this list, Nairametrics sampled five of Africa’s prominent economies South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt and Nigeria and looked at the top two largest publicly listed companies by market capitalisation in each market.

Rather than presenting the list as a definitive ranking of Africa’s biggest companies, the focus is on the CEOs behind some of the continent’s most valuable listed businesses and the careers that have taken them to the top of major companies.

Here are 10 CEOs leading some of Africa’s largest publicly listed companies by market capitalisation.

Abena Osei-Poku: Managing Director Ecobank Ghana

Market Cap: GH₵12.6 billion ($1.11 billion)

Country: Ghana

Abena Osei-Poku is the Managing Director of Ecobank Ghana and Regional Executive for Anglophone West Africa. She assumed the role in January 2024,

Osei-Poku started her banking career at Standard Chartered Bank, where she spent nearly seven years and held positions including Head of Group Special Assets for West and Central Africa and Director of Global Corporates.

She later joined Barclays, where she spent more than 14 years in various senior positions. Her roles included Executive Director of the Corporate Bank, Regional Head of Coverage for Corporate and Investment Banking in Rest of Africa, Managing Director in Ghana, and Managing Director and Co-Head of CIB Coverage for Rest of Africa.

In February 2020, Osei-Poku was appointed Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, a position she held for four years before moving to Ecobank Ghana in January 2024.

Beyond her executive responsibilities, Osei-Poku serves as Chairperson of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana and as Governing Council Chairperson of the Ghana Stock Exchange. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Ghana and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Manchester.

Ecobank Ghana is part of the Ecobank Group, a pan-African banking group providing corporate, retail and investment banking services across African markets. As of September 2026, Ecobank Ghana has a market capitalisation of approximately GH₵12.6 billion ($1.11 billion)

James Mwangi: Group MD/CEO of Equity Group

Market Capitalization: KSh400.0 billion ($3.09 billion)

Country: Kenya

James Mwangi is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Equity Group Holdings, one of Kenya’s leading financial services groups.

Mwangi holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Certified Public Accountant. He has received five honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of his contributions to Kenyan society and has been honoured with three national presidential awards, including the First Class Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS), the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) and the Head of State Commendation (HSC).

His career has extended beyond banking into regional and global economic development. He served as the founding Chair of Kenya’s Vision 2030 from its inception in 2007 until 2019, helping provide strategic direction for the country’s long-term development programme.

He has received numerous international and African business awards. These include the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2012, Forbes Africa Person of the Year in 2012, the G8 Global Vision Award in 2007 and the Oslo Business for Peace Award in 2020.

He currently serves on several international advisory and institutional boards, including the International Finance Corporation Economic Advisory Board, Mastercard Middle East and Africa Advisory Board and Africa Leadership Academy. He is also a guest lecturer at institutions including Stanford, Columbia, MIT, Harvard, IESE and Lagos Business School, where the Equity Bank business model is used as a case study.

Mwangi is also the Chancellor of Meru University of Science and Technology and has served as Chairman of the Health Committee of the Kenya COVID-19 Fund Board.

Equity Group Holdings as of September 2026, has a market capitalisation of approximately KSh400.0 billion ($3.09 billion).

Ahmed Elsewedy: CEO of Elsewedy Electric

Market Cap: $5.46 billion

Country: Egypt

Ahmed Elsewedy is the Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Elsewedy Electric, an Egyptian company focused on energy and infrastructure solutions. He has served as the company’s Group President and CEO since 2006, bringing more than 35 years of experience in the electricity and energy sectors.

Elsewedy started his career in the family’s cable manufacturing business and took charge of Arab Cables Co., Egypt’s first private cable factory, in 1986. Today, Elsewedy Electric operates more than 30 production facilities, employs more than 17,000 people and exports its products and services to more than 110 countries.

In 2022, he also signed a manufacturing agreement with Wolong Electric as part of the company’s expansion strategy. In 2011, he established the Elsewedy Technical Academy. Elsewedy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University, which he obtained in 1986.

Elsewedy Electric was founded in 1938 and has been listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange since 2006. The company develops energy and infrastructure projects and provides solutions across areas including electrical products, energy management and engineering services. As of September 2026, it has a market capitalisation of approximately EGP 278.12 billion ($5.46 billion), according to the data provided.

Stephen Blewett: CEO MTN Ghana

Market cap: $7.92 billion

Country: Ghana

Stephen Blewett is a telecommunications executive with nearly three decades of experience across African markets and more than 18 years in CEO roles. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, a position he has held since April 2024, after previously leading MTN’s operations in Benin and Cameroon.

• During his tenure at MTN Benin, the company returned to profitability for the first time in five years and recorded double-digit growth.

In August 2020, Blewett became Chief Executive Officer of MTN Cameroon, where he also served as Chairman of MTN Mobile Money. During his time in Cameroon, he helped return the business to profitability after five years and oversaw improvements in employee engagement and revenue growth.

• He later joined Digicel Group as Group Chief Operating Officer in August 2022, before returning to MTN in 2023 as Operations Executive for Markets. In the same period, he served as a Non-Executive Director of MTN WECA, with responsibilities covering several West and Central African markets.
• Blewett was appointed Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana in April 2024. In the role, he oversees the company’s operations as it expands its telecommunications, digital and mobile financial services offerings in Ghana.

Blewett holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics, Business Administration and Marketing from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has also completed executive education at London Business School and a leadership coaching certification at Brown University.

MTN Ghana is a telecommunications company providing mobile voice, data, digital and financial services in Ghana. As of September 2026, the company has a market capitalisation of approximately GH₵90.0 billion ($7.92 billion)

Hisham Ezz Al-Arab- CEO of Commercial International Bank

Country: Egypt

Market Cap: $9.4B

Hisham Ezz Al-Arab is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board Member of Commercial International Bank (CIB) – Egypt. He was reappointed to the position in November 2024, after previously serving as Chairman of the bank from March 2023.

Ezz Al-Arab began his banking career more than four decades ago and has held senior positions across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He first rose to prominence at CIB, where he served as Chairman and Managing Director from 2002 to 2020.

During his tenure, he led CIB’s transformation from a wholesale lender with a market capitalisation of about EGP 1 billion into Egypt’s largest private-sector bank, with its market capitalisation exceeding EGP 300 billion.

• After leaving his executive position at CIB in 2020, Ezz Al-Arab founded HE Advisory, where he advised corporations on growth strategies, resource mobilisation and financial risk management.
• In 2022, he served briefly as an adviser to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt before returning to CIB as a Non-Executive Director. He subsequently became Chairman in March 2023 and was reappointed CEO and Executive Board Member in November 2024.
• Ezz Al-Arab also played a role in CIB’s expansion into Africa, leading the transaction that established CIB’s presence in Kenya. The Kenyan business, now known as CIB Kenya Limited, provides trade finance and credit facilities for Egyptian corporate customers expanding into African markets.
• His leadership has earned him several industry recognitions, including the African Banker’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, Global Finance’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025 and MEED’s CEO of the Year award in 2025.

He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the CIB Foundation, which he founded in 2010 to support healthcare initiatives for underprivileged children in Egypt. Commercial International Bank –Egypt is a private-sector bank headquartered in Giza, Egypt. As of September 2026, CIB has a market capitalisation of approximately $9.43 billion.

Peter Ndegwa: CEO of Safaricom

Market capitalization: KSh1.5 trillion ($11.59 billion)

Country: Kenya

Peter Ndegwa is the Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom PLC, Kenya’s largest telecommunications company. He joined Safaricom as CEO in April 2020 and was appointed to its Board of Directors, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience across telecommunications, financial services and fast-moving consumer goods in Africa and Europe.

Ndegwa started his career at PwC, where he spent 11 years developing his experience in financial strategy and business transformation. He later joined East African Breweries Limited (EABL), a subsidiary of Diageo, where he spent eight years in senior executive positions.

At EABL, he served as Group Chief Finance Officer, Group Strategy Director, Sales Director and Executive Director on the company’s board.

Ndegwa subsequently held several senior leadership positions within Diageo, overseeing operations across 50 countries covering Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and North Africa. He also served as CEO of Guinness Nigeria PLC and Guinness Breweries PLC, where he led strategic transformation and business expansion.

Ndegwa was awarded the First Class Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (C.B.S) in December 2023 for distinguished service to Kenya. In February 2024, he was inaugurated as Chancellor of Meru University of Science and Technology for a five-year term.

Ndegwa holds an MBA from London Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi.

Safaricom PLC is a Kenyan telecommunications and technology company offering mobile communications, data, digital and mobile financial services, including M-PESA. As of September 2026, Safaricom has a market capitalisation of approximately KSh1.5 trillion ($11.59 billion).

Arvind Pathak: Group MD/ CEO of Dangote Cement

Market capitalization: N17.4trillion($13 billion)

Country: Nigeria

Arvind Pathak is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Cement Plc. He was appointed to the position effective March 1, 2023, returning to the company after previously serving as its Group Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Group Managing Director.

He holds an engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, where he graduated with first rank.

He also completed postgraduate studies in Business Administration and Management at the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai.

Before joining Dangote Cement, Pathak held senior leadership positions across India’s industrial sector. He served as CEO of Adani Enterprises and also held leadership roles within the Reliance Group, gaining experience in large-scale operations and business management.

Pathak joined Dangote Cement in 2018 as Group Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for overseeing the company’s operations. In October 2019, he was promoted to Deputy Group Managing Director.

He left Dangote Cement in February 2021 and subsequently became Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Birla Corporation in March 2021, where he served until December 2022.

Dangote Cement Plc is Nigeria’s largest cement producer and one of Africa’s leading cement manufacturers. The company operates cement plants across several African markets and is listed on the Nigerian Exchange. As of September 2026, Dangote Cement has a market capitalisation of approximately N17.4trillion ($13 billion)

Sunil Taldar; CEO Airtel Africa

Market capitalization: N23.6trillion($17.9 billion)

Country Nigeria

Sunil Taldar is the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Airtel Africa Plc, having joined the company in 2023 as Director of Transformation before assuming the CEO role in July 2024.

Taldar brings more than 30 years of business management experience across the fast-moving consumer goods and telecommunications sectors. His expertise spans general management, sales and distribution, consumer marketing, media and research, with experience leading large teams across China, India, Indonesia and Singapore.

Before joining Airtel Africa, he served as Director of Market Operations at Bharti Airtel and previously held the positions of CEO and Director of its direct-to-home business. He also served on the management board of Mondelēz, the owner of Cadbury, across China, India and Indonesia.

At Airtel Africa, Taldar oversees the group’s strategic transformation and business operations. Under his leadership, Airtel Africa’s share price rose from N2,270 on January 2, 2026, to N6,300 on September 3, representing a 177.53% year-to-date gain. The company’s market capitalisation stood at approximately N23.68 trillion ($17.90 billion) as of September 3, 2026

Mike Fraser: CEO Gold Fields

Market cap: $42.7billion

Country: South Africa

Mike is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Gold Fields, a global gold mining company. He joined Gold Fields as CEO on January 1, 2024, and was appointed to the company’s board as an Executive Director on the same date.

Mike started his career in industrial services before moving into the mining sector in 2001, when he joined BHP’s human resources department. He rose through several leadership positions at the mining company and in 2009 became head of the Mozal Aluminium Smelter project in Mozambique.

He later served as BHP’s President of Human Resources, based in Melbourne, where he was responsible for the company’s global human resources operations.

In 2015, following the creation of South32 from BHP’s non-core assets, Mike became President and Chief Operating Officer of its global aluminium and nickel businesses, as well as its South African manganese and energy coal operations.

In 2022, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Chaarat Gold, an AIM-listed junior gold mining company. He held the position until moving to Gold Fields in January 2024.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Africa. Gold Fields is a global gold mining company with operations across several countries. As of September 2026, the company has a market capitalisation of approximately $42.7billion.

Alberto Calderon:CEO AngloGold Ashanti

Market Capitalization: $46.14 billion

Country: South Africa

Alberto Calderon is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of AngloGold Ashanti, a global gold mining company. He was appointed to the position on September 1, 2021, bringing extensive experience across the mining, petroleum and energy industries.

Calderon began his career in the public sector and international finance, holding senior positions in the Colombian government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He later moved into the natural resources industry, where he served as CEO of Ecopetrol, Colombia’s national oil company, and later became CEO of Cerrejón Coal Company, an integrated thermal coal mining company in Colombia.

His career at BHP Group followed, where he held several senior executive positions, including group executive and chief commercial officer and group executive and chief executive of aluminium, nickel and corporate development.

Before joining AngloGold Ashanti, Calderon served as CEO of Orica, a global mining services company specialising in commercial explosives and blasting systems. He was appointed to lead the company in 2015 and remained in the role until 2021.

Calderon has an academic background spanning economics and law. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Master’s degree in Economics, a Master of Philosophy in Economics, a Juris Doctor and a PhD in Economics.

He also serves as a director of the International Council on Mining and Metals, an industry organisation focused on responsible mining and sustainable development.

AngloGold Ashanti is one of the world’s major gold mining companies and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. As of September 2026, the company has a market capitalisation of approximately $46.14 billion, making it one of the most valuable publicly traded mining companies globally.