10 Richest Black Women in the World
The ten women on this list have broken all records and went against the odds to become the ten richest black women in the world.
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These women are black, hard workers and they are millionaires and in some cases billionaires. Use them to inspire you to aspire to one day see your name on this list.
10. Nicki Minaj
Net Worth: $75 Million Dollars
Nationality: Trinidad and Tobago
Source of Wealth: Entertainment / Media
Nicki Minaj not only sings that her mind is on her money. She works for her money and is today one of the richest black women in the world. Onika Tanya Maraj, you may know her has Nicki Minaj, has managed to enjoy a successful career as a rapper, singer, actress, and songwriter.
She has sold over 80 million singles and has produced three albums throughout her career. Her albums Pink Friday: Roman Unloaded and Pink Print were certified double platinum in America.
She has her own fragrance lines and has earned from endorsement deals with Mac Cosmetics, Pepsi and Adidas and is a shareholder in the music streaming service Tidal
9. Bridgette Radebe
Net Worth: $145 Million Dollars
Nationality: South African
Source of Wealth: Mining
If you are speaking about a hard worker then Bridgette Radebe’s name should be mentioned. She first began her career in mining working as a miner for large corporations.
In the 1980s, she successfully started her own mining firm, Mmakau Mining. Mmakay Mining now has holdings in mines that excavate gold, chrome, platinum, and coal.
Bridgette Radebe sits on several boards and in 2008 was awarded International Business Person of the Year by the Global Foundation for Democracy. Her lifetime earnings have made her one of the richest women in Africa.
8. Wendy Appelbaum
Net Worth: $310 Million Dollars
Nationality: South African
Source of Wealth: Inheritance / Investments
The only daughter of business tycoon, Donald Gordon, Appelbaum inherited shares in her father’s insurance and real-estate company, Liberty Investors.
Wendy Appelbaum earned her keep working as a director in the company. She continued to amass wealth when she co-founded Women’s Investment Portfolio Limited, an investment company solely controlled by women.
Appelbaum later sold her shares in Liberty Investors and with her husband bought the DeMorgenzon wine estate.
7. Beyoncé
Net Worth: $350 Million Dollars
Nationality: American
Source of Wealth: Entertainment / Media / Fashion
Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter, Queen Bey is one of the richest black women in entertainment in America. She first came onto the entertainment scene as a member of the girl group Destiny’s Child.
The group later separated and she launched her career as a solo artist. She has sold over 160 million records throughout her career and has starred in a number of movies.
In 2014 Forbes ranked her as the highest-paid black musician in history. Beyonce earns from album sales, her clothing line and endorsement deals with companies such as Pepsi.
6. Hajia Bola Shagaya
Net Worth: $630 Million Dollars
Nationality: Nigerian
Source of Wealth: Photography / Real Estate / Oil
Hajia Bola Shagaya is a Nigerian businesswoman that has founded a number of successful companies that have made her one of the richest black women in the world.
Her foray into entrepreneurship started with her first company Konica, a company that imports and distributes photographic materials. Hajia Bola went on to corner another level of the market when she created Fotofair, now the most popular photo laboratory in Nigeria.
With experience gained from working as the managing director of Practoil Limited, she created the Voyage Oil and Gas Limited exploration company. She has also invested heavily in real estate.
5. Sheila Crump Johnson
Net Worth: $750 Million Dollars
Nationality: American
Source of Wealth: Media / Entertainment / Hospitality
Sheila Crump Johnson is an African American business mogul. She has become one of the richest black women in the world by owning majority shares in sports franchises, hotels, and a television network.
Sheila Crump is the co-founder of the very popular TV network BET. She is the founder and CEO of the Salamander located in Virginia and Florida.
She also holds significant shares in Reunion Resort and Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. In her spare time, she manages the sports franchise Washington Mystics.
She is also a partner in the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards sports franchises.
4. Ngina Kenyatta
Net Worth: $1.0 Billion Dollars
Nationality: Kenyan
Source of Wealth: Manufacturing / Banking / Farming / Real Estate
Ngina Kenyatta, wealth comes from being an heir to major landholdings acquired by her grandfather and the first President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, in the 1980s.
The Uhuru family owns Brookside Dairies, the largest dairy company in Kenya. They are also major shareholders in the television station K24 and one of the commercial banks in Nairobi.
The wealth amassed from these entities constitutes the network of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his children. The substantial revenues generated make Ngina Kenyatta the sixth richest black woman in the world.
3. Folorunsho Alakija
Net Worth: $2.1 Billion Dollars
Nationality: Nigerian
Source of Wealth: Fashion and Oil
Fashion slayer and Nigerian businesswoman Folorunsho Alakija is one of the richest black women in the world. Forbes has ranked her as the richest woman in Nigeria.
Folorunsho Alakija is the managing director of the Rose of Sharon Group, a popular fashion house in Nigeria. The fashion icon sought to diversify her portfolio with the creation of Famfa Oil Limited.
Famfa Oil Limited is an oil exploration and production company in Nigeria. Alakija has also created a foundation through which she assists widows by granting them scholarships and business grants.
2. Isabel Dos Santos
Net Worth: $2.6 Billion Dollars
Nationality: Angolan
Source of Wealth: Investments
Isabel Dos Santos is the richest woman in Africa and the second richest black woman in the world. She is an investor and a major contributor to the development of Angola.
At the age of twenty-four, she founded Miami Beach Club, a nightclub and restaurant. From there she went on to own shares in several enterprises all over the world, especially Angola and Portugal.
She invests in companies in finance, telecommunications, energy, and retail. She is the major shareholder in ZON Multimedia, she sits on the board of Banco BIC Português, an Angolan bank in Portugal. In 2014, she was named as African of the year.
1. Oprah Winfrey
Net Worth: $2.8 Billion Dollars
Nationality: American
Source of Wealth: Media/Entertainment
Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media is the richest black woman in the world and richest African American woman. Oprah Winfrey has enjoyed a very successful career as the talk show host of the popular talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and as an actress and producer.
She is the owner of Harpo Productions and her very own TV channel OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. She has starred and produced in a number of films and has provided the voice of characters in animated movies such as The Princess and the Frog.
Winfrey has co-authored five books and the magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine. Her TV Show, production company, TV network, and channel have contributed to Oprah’s huge net worth.
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