Key Factors
- Africa’s richest girls are redefining management, constructing enterprise empires in oil, finance, prescription drugs, and tech, whereas driving progress and innovation.
- From Alakija’s oil fortune to Poku-Diaby’s cocoa empire, these girls flip challenges into alternatives, increasing industries and creating wealth.
- These girls aren’t simply constructing wealth—they’re funding scholarships, supporting small companies, and driving financial inclusion throughout Africa.
Throughout Africa’s monetary capitals and industrial corridors, a robust group of businesswomen is rewriting the foundations of wealth, affect, and management. In industries lengthy dominated by males—oil, finance, prescription drugs, and expertise—these girls have constructed formidable enterprise empires, creating jobs, driving innovation, and reshaping economies in ways in which shall be felt for generations.
Their paths to success are as various because the continent itself. Some cast their wealth by means of strategic investments and high-stakes entrepreneurship, whereas others inherited household fortunes and expanded them with sharp enterprise instincts. What unites them is resilience—the flexibility to navigate unstable markets, overcome systemic boundaries, and switch challenges into alternatives.
Take Nigeria’s Folorunso Alakija, whose ascent from the style trade to controlling one of many nation’s most dear oil blocks is a masterclass in foresight and tenacity. In South Africa, Lynette Saltzman remodeled a neighborhood pharmaceutical enterprise right into a healthcare powerhouse, guaranteeing hundreds of thousands have entry to important medicines. In the meantime, Patricia Poku-Diaby dominates Ghana’s cocoa trade, a sector central to the nation’s economic system.
Throughout the continent, their affect extends past stability sheets. Bridgette Radebe has made her mark in South Africa’s mining sector, breaking boundaries in an trade notoriously powerful for girls. Mama Ngina Kenyatta, considered one of Kenya’s most outstanding figures, sits on the intersection of enterprise and politics. In Egypt, Azza El-Sewedy is increasing industrial infrastructure, whereas Sue Youcef Nabi, an Algerian entrepreneur, is reshaping the worldwide magnificence market.
Regardless of gender disparities, these girls haven’t solely constructed wealth however have additionally reinvested it—funding scholarships, supporting small companies, and driving financial inclusion. Their impression reaches far past boardrooms, proving that monetary success paired with goal creates lasting change.
Billionaires.Africa presents the High 20 richest girls in Africa, a definitive rating of the continent’s wealthiest and most influential enterprise leaders. Their tales are greater than tales of fortune—they’re blueprints for breaking boundaries, constructing legacies, and shaping the way forward for world enterprise.
Nationality: Nigerian
Sector: Oil & Fuel, Actual Property, Vogue, Printing
Internet Price: $900 million
With Isabel Dos Santos out of the image, Nigeria’s Folorunso Alakija now holds the title of Africa’s richest girl and stays one of many world’s wealthiest Black girls. Her fortune comes primarily from Famfa Oil, which has a extremely beneficial stake in Agbami Oilfield—considered one of Nigeria’s largest deepwater oil tasks. However oil isn’t her solely enterprise. By means of Dayspring Property Improvement, she owns prime actual property, together with Famfa Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos. Her journey to wealth started within the Eighties with Supreme Stitches, later rebranded as Rose of Sharon Home of Vogue, which made her a family title in Nigeria’s trend scene. Past enterprise, Alakija is deeply concerned in philanthropy. Her Rose of Sharon Basis has helped hundreds of widows and orphans, whereas Flourish Africa empowers feminine entrepreneurs throughout the continent. Forbes final valued her wealth at over $1 billion in 2020. With no current valuation out there, her present web value is estimated at $900 million, anchored by her oil pursuits and in depth actual property holdings.
Nationality: South African
Sector: Healthcare
Internet Price: $500 million
As co-founder of Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Lynette Saltzman has performed a key function in shaping South Africa’s healthcare retail sector. Below her management, Dis-Chem has grown right into a family title with over 300 shops and greater than 20,000 staff. Collectively along with her husband, she holds a 35.12% stake within the firm, which continues to generate vital wealth by means of dividends. Dis-Chem has a market capitalization of R28 billion ($1.52 billion), solidifying the Saltzmans’ monetary standing. Whereas the precise possession cut up between Lynette and her husband isn’t publicly disclosed, their mixed stake interprets to an estimated web value of $500 million for Lynette.
- Zarin Merali
Nationality: Kenyan
Sector: Diversified
Internet Price: $220 million
Zarin Merali oversees the property of her late husband, Naushad Merali, considered one of Kenya’s most outstanding enterprise moguls. Till his passing in 2021, he was a significant participant in agriculture, finance, actual property, and manufacturing. The household retains management of a number of key belongings, together with a 74.06 % stake in Sameer Africa, 65.46 % in Sasini Tea, and 5.2 % in NCBA Group. In addition they personal Legend Investments Ltd, a agency with vital pursuits throughout a number of industries. In 2015, Naushad Merali’s fortune was estimated at $370 million, however with no current valuation, Zarin Merali’s present web value is estimated at $220 million, primarily based on the household’s holdings.
- Mama Ngina Kenyatta
Nationality: Kenyan
Sector: Diversified
Internet Price: $210 million
Because the matriarch of the Kenyatta household, Mama Ngina Kenyatta presides over considered one of Kenya’s wealthiest and most influential dynasties. The household’s investments span agriculture, banking, actual property, media, and hospitality, making them a dominant pressure in East Africa’s enterprise panorama. Their 500,000 acres of land place them among the many area’s largest non-public landowners. Key belongings embody a 13.2 % stake in NCBA Group, full management of Brookside Dairy, which instructions 60 % of Kenya’s dairy market, and possession of Mediamax Community Restricted (which runs K24 TV and The Individuals Each day). Their formidable Northlands Metropolis venture is ready to reshape Nairobi’s city growth. After accounting for liabilities, Billionaires.Africa estimates the Kenyatta household’s wealth at $210 million, with Mama Ngina on the helm
- Sue Youcef Nabi
Nationality: Algerian-French
Sector: Magnificence & Cosmetics
Internet Price: $180 million
As CEO of Coty Inc., Sue Youcef Nabi has led the corporate’s transformation, specializing in premiumization and world growth—strikes which have restored investor confidence. Below her management, Coty has solidified its place because the world’s second-largest hair coloration and styling model and third-largest in coloration cosmetics, with income reaching $5.55 billion in 2023. Nabi holds a 3.7 % stake in Coty, equal to 31.88 million shares, presently valued at $180 million. Her management has been central to Coty’s monetary turnaround, mirrored in a 4.55 % improve in belongings. In recognition of her impression, she acquired a $149.43 million compensation package deal in 2023. Earlier than Coty, she was a high government at L’Oréal, the place she led Lancôme and L’Oréal Paris, driving innovation and championing range within the magnificence trade. Billionaires.Africa estimates her web value at $180 million, reflecting her rising affect within the world magnificence house.
- Wendy Appelbaum
Nationality: South African
Sector: Finance & Winemaking
Internet Price: $150 million
Wendy Appelbaum is considered one of South Africa’s most influential buyers, with a profession spanning finance, actual property, and winemaking. The daughter of billionaire Sir Donald Gordon, she began at Liberty Group, the monetary empire her father constructed, earlier than forging her personal path. In 1994, she co-founded Wiphold, South Africa’s first women-led funding agency to record on the JSE, breaking new floor for feminine financial empowerment. At present, Appelbaum is a powerhouse within the wine trade, proudly owning the 224-acre Demorgenzon Wine Property, recognized for its award-winning Chenin Blanc. The property exports 85 % of its 500,000-bottle annual output to world markets. Regardless of her privileged background, she credit her success to strategic foresight and relentless work ethic. Whether or not in finance, wine, or philanthropy, she stays dedicated to driving financial inclusion and constructing long-term worth.
- Patricia Poku Diaby
Nationality: Ghanaian
Sector: Cocoa & Commodities
Internet Price: $115 million
As Ghana’s wealthiest girl, Patricia Poku Diaby has constructed a cocoa empire that cements her standing as considered one of Africa’s most profitable entrepreneurs. On the helm of Plot Enterprise Group, she has positioned her firm as a key participant in cocoa processing and commodities buying and selling. Her state-of-the-art amenities in Takoradi, Ghana, and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, have a mixed annual processing capability of 48,000 metric tonnes. Poku Diaby’s firm competes with multinational giants in a sector historically dominated by European corporations. She has leveraged expertise, sustainability, and farmer empowerment to remodel the cocoa provide chain, guaranteeing that extra of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa wealth stays throughout the continent. She stays the one African girl to have constructed a large-scale cocoa processing facility, breaking boundaries in an trade lengthy dominated by males. Past enterprise, she is a robust advocate for moral commerce, honest pricing, and higher working situations for farmers. She additionally mentors younger entrepreneurs, particularly girls, and helps initiatives that drive financial progress. Billionaires.Africa estimates her web value at $115 million, a mirrored image of her dominance in Africa’s industrial sector and her affect in world cocoa markets.
- Hajia Bola Shagaya
Nationality: Nigerian
Sector: Oil & Fuel, Actual Property, Finance, Images
Internet Price: $110 million
Hajia Bola Shagaya is considered one of Nigeria’s most formidable entrepreneurs, with a enterprise empire spanning oil and fuel, actual property, finance, and images. Born in Kwara State in 1959, she began her profession in banking, working within the audit division of the Central Financial institution of Nigeria earlier than making the leap into enterprise in 1983. Her first main breakthrough got here in images, the place she turned the only distributor of Konica merchandise in West Africa. She later based Fotofair (Nigeria) Restricted, a market chief in skilled images companies. Her strategic growth into oil and fuel solidified her affect—she based Practoil Restricted, considered one of Nigeria’s largest importers of base oil, and later established Voyage Oil and Fuel Restricted, securing an oil exploration license in 2012. Her investments additionally prolong into luxurious actual property throughout Nigeria, Europe, and the U.S. She serves on the board of NEPAD, the place she performs a key function in shaping Nigeria’s financial insurance policies. Recognized for her resilience and sharp enterprise acumen, Shagaya stays considered one of Africa’s strongest businesswomen.
- Azza El-Sewedy
Nationality: Egyptian
Sector: Manufacturing
Internet Price: $110 million
Azza El-Sewedy, considered one of Egypt’s most influential girls buyers, has seen her fortune develop considerably in 2025, due to her stake in Elsewedy Electrical. Because the sister of the billionaire El-Sewedy brothers, she holds a 3.03 % stake within the firm, equal to 64.92 million shares, valued at $109 million. Elsewedy Electrical, based in 1938, stays a powerhouse on the Egyptian Alternate (EGX), with a market capitalization of $3.6 billion. Azza’s increasing stake not solely strengthens her place in Egypt’s power and cable industries but additionally displays the corporate’s robust market efficiency. Billionaires.Africa estimates her fortune at $110 million, additional cementing her standing as one of many nation’s strongest feminine buyers.
- Mary-Ann Musangi
Nationality: Kenyan
Sector: Diversified
Internet value: $100 million
Mary-Ann Musangi leads the Kirubi household property, overseeing main stakes in Centum Funding Plc, KCB Group, Haco Industries, and Capital Media Group. Following the passing of her father, enterprise mogul Chris Kirubi, in 2021, she and her brother Robert Kirubi inherited a lot of his $140 million fortune. The property contains investments throughout actual property, insurance coverage, and healthcare, with Mary-Ann taking part in a pivotal function in managing and increasing its portfolio. Billionaires.Africa estimates the Kirubi household’s wealth at $100 million, along with her on the helm of key enterprise selections shaping the way forward for their empire.
Nationality: Moroccan
Sector: Healthcare
Internet Price: $100 million
Lamia Tazi leads Morocco’s pharmaceutical trade because the CEO and Chairperson of Sothema, the nation’s largest drug producer. Below her management, the corporate produces 60 million pharmaceutical models yearly and operates 35 world laboratories. Tazi owns an 8.19% stake in Sothema, valued at $65 million. In 2023, she spearheaded the launch of the primary Galenic growth and medical research platform in Africa and the Center East, reinforcing her dedication to pharmaceutical innovation. Past Sothema, she oversees a number of firms, together with Superior Scientific Developments, West Afric Pharma, Azerys, Axess Pharma, and Leiden Pharma. Her affect within the trade earned her a spot at No. 33 on Forbes’ 2025 100 Most Highly effective Ladies record.
- Stella Okoli
Nationality: Nigerian
Sector: Healthcare
Internet Price: $80 million
Stella Okoli is the pressure behind Emzor Prescription drugs, considered one of Africa’s main producers and distributors of medicines and medical provides. The corporate produces over 140 pharmaceutical merchandise, together with ache relievers, nutritional vitamins, antibiotics, antimalarials, and cardiovascular medicine. Through the years, Emzor has grown right into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, making Okoli a key determine in Africa’s pharmaceutical sector. Her management and imaginative and prescient proceed to drive the corporate’s growth, guaranteeing a gentle provide of reasonably priced healthcare merchandise throughout the continent.
- Bridgette Radebe
Nationality: South African
Sector: Mining
Internet Price: $60 million
Bridgette Radebe made historical past as South Africa’s first Black feminine mining entrepreneur, constructing Mmakau Mining into a significant participant in gold, platinum, and chrome extraction. Her experience additionally performed an important function within the progress of African Rainbow Minerals, based by her brother, billionaire Patrice Motsepe. Past mining, she has held management positions in African Rainbow Capital Investments, Shaft Sinkers, and Sappi Restricted. By means of the New Africa Mining Fund, she actively helps Black-owned and junior mining firms, serving to form the way forward for Africa’s mining sector.
- Sharon Wapnick
Nationality: South African
Sector: Actual Property
Internet Price: $50 million
Sharon Wapnick is a outstanding determine in South Africa’s actual property and authorized industries. Because the chairperson of Octodec Investments, she has helped form the corporate’s success whereas sustaining her authorized observe at TWB—Tugendhaft Wapnick Banchetti and Companions. The daughter of Alec Wapnick, she took the helm of Octodec in 2011 and performed a pivotal function in its 2014 merger with Premium Properties, creating an actual property powerhouse managing 267 properties value R11.3 billion. Alongside her brother Jeffrey, she has bolstered Octodec’s dominance in Johannesburg and Tshwane. Past enterprise, Wapnick is a vocal advocate for gender equality, as soon as remarking, “One of the best man for the job is normally a lady.” Her management continues to form South Africa’s property sector whereas reinforcing her affect in company legislation.
