Meet Folorunsho Alakija, the richest black woman in the world
Move over Oprah. While you will forever remain the most popular black woman on daytime television, you can no longer claim the spot of “richest black woman in the world.”
Although being worth $2.3 billion is still pretty damn impressive.
Nigerian oil tycoon Folorunsho Alakija is worth a whopping $7.3 billion.
Ventures Africa reports that Alakija is the fourth richest person on the continent.
Alakija was born into a wealthy, polygamous Nigerian family. She started out her professional career in the mid 70s as a secretary at the International Merchant Bank of Nigeria and in the early 80s, she quit her job and went on to study Fashion design in England. She returned to Nigeria shortly afterwards to start Supreme Stitches, a premium Nigerian fashion label that catered exclusively to upscale clientele, including Maryam Babangida, the wife of Nigeria’s former military President Ibrahim Babangida. Leveraging on this proximity to power, she acquired an oil prospecting license – the basis of her enormous fortune today.
Alakija also is the founder of the Rose and Sharon Foundation, a non-governmental organization focused on serving widows and orphans.
The 62-year-old mother of four comes behind Aliko Dangote who is worth $20.2 billion, the overall richest African.
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