Forbes names Dangote Africa’s most powerful man

The President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko
Dangote, has been named the most powerful
man in Africa and 64th in the world by the
Forbes magazine.
Dangote, who Forbes says is by far Africa's
richest man with a net worth of $16.1bn as
of March 2013, was ranked ahead of the likes
of Fifa President, Sepp Blatter (69); Speaker,
United States House of Representatives, John
Boehner (66); and Founder, Mo Ibrahim
Foundation, Mohammed Ibrahim (71).
The 56-year-old, Dangote, whose company is
considered one of the most diversified on the
list, is currently ranked 43 on the Forbes list
of the world's billionaires with his net worth
over time said to be on the rise.
In August, the industrialist had announced
plans by the Dangote Group to build a $9bn
refinery and petrochemical complex in
Nigeria, a move which is expected to help the
group further diversify its current business
model and increase his net worth.
Away from his business interests, mention
was also made of his philanthropic efforts in
his profile on the Forbes website.
It reads in part, "Inspired by fellow
billionaires, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett,
Dangote is making a name for himself on the
philanthropic circuit and has given away
millions to education, health and social causes
in Africa."
Apart from Dangote, Ibrahim is the only other
African on the list, which contains 72 people.
Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, topped the
list, displacing United States President,
Barrack Obama, who dropped to the second
spot for the first time in three years.
Chinese President, Xi Jinping, occupies the
third spot, while the head of the Catholic
Church, Pope Francis, debuts on the list at
number four.
Pope Francis, who was elected in March this
year, leads 12 other new entrants.
Other notable new names on the list are
Samsung Chairman, Lee Kun-Hee (41);
Volkswagen's Martin Winterkorn (49); South
Korean President, Park Geun-hye (52); and
Janet Yellen (72), who has been nominated by
President Obama as the next leader of the US
Federal Reserves.
The Executive Editor of the New York Times,
Jill Abramson (68), makes a return appearance
after dropping off the list in years past.
Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, aged 29,
and North Korean leader, Kim Jung-un, aged
30, are the youngest people on the list.
Zuckerberg occupies the 24th place, while Kim
is ranked 46th.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who occupies
the eight spot, is the oldest person on the
list. He is 89 years old.
The world's richest man, Carlos Slim, is,
however, not the most powerful man. The
América Móvil honorary chairman occupies
the 12th position.
According to Forbes , the Most Powerful
People in the World list is an annual snapshot
of the heads of state, financiers,
philanthropists and entrepreneurs, who truly
rule the world.
"It represents the collective wisdom of top
Forbes editors, who consider hundreds of
nominees before ranking the planet's top 72
power-brokers – one for every 100 million
people on earth – based on their scope of
influence and their financial resources relative
to their peers," the magazine explained.
This year's list features 17 heads of state, who
run nations with a combined Gross Domestic
Product of some $48tn.