Aliko Dangote’s fortune has surged to $51.3 billion, widening an extraordinary wealth gap between Africa’s richest man and Nigeria’s other dollar billionaires tracked by Forbes.

Forbes valued Dangote at $51.3 billion as of Monday, September 14, putting his fortune at more than twice the combined wealth of Abdulsamad Rabiu, Mike Adenuga and Femi Otedola.

Rabiu is valued at $12.2 billion, Adenuga at $7 billion and Otedola at $1.9 billion, giving the three businessmen a combined fortune of $21.1 billion.

That means Dangote alone is worth about $30.2 billion more than the three combined and controls roughly 71% of the wealth attributed to Nigeria’s four Forbes-listed billionaires.

Refinery revaluation transforms Dangote’s fortune

The most striking development is how quickly Dangote’s fortune has increased. Forbes valued the Nigerian industrialist at about $31.5 billion on September 4. In just 10 days, his estimated net worth jumped by almost $20 billion.

The increase was largely driven by a new valuation of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery rather than a sudden acquisition of new businesses. Forbes had previously applied a conservative valuation to the Lagos-based refinery because it was privately held and lacked a publicly traded market price.

That changed after a private placement reportedly raised $2.5 billion from investors. The transaction provided a clearer benchmark for valuing the refinery and Dangote’s controlling interest.

The refinery is now moving further into the public market through a major share sale.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is offering 4.1 billion ordinary shares at N525 each, with the offer scheduled to close on October 13.

The shares represent about 3.3% of the company. The offer could raise approximately N2.15 trillion if fully subscribed. Bloomberg gives Dangote lower valuation.

Not every billionaire tracker has placed Dangote above $50 billion yet. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index values his fortune at about $35.3 billion, highlighting how different methodologies can produce significantly different estimates for privately held assets.

However, Bloomberg has projected that Dangote's fortune could rise much further once the refinery's valuation is established through the market.

Rabiu, Adenuga and Otedola remain billionaires

Dangote’s widening lead comes despite significant gains by Nigeria’s other richest businessmen.

Rabiu built his fortune through BUA Group, with major interests in cement, sugar and food production. His BUA Cement and BUA Foods businesses are listed on the Nigerian Exchange.

Adenuga’s wealth comes primarily from telecommunications and oil. He founded Globacom and controls Conoil, after building his early fortune through distribution and construction. Otedola, meanwhile, has increasingly concentrated his investments in financial services. He owns a substantial stake in First HoldCo, the parent company of FirstBank, and serves as its chairman.

His estimated fortune has also climbed sharply from the $1.3 billion Forbes attributed to him earlier in 2026.

His estimated fortune has also climbed sharply from the $1.3 billion Forbes attributed to him earlier in 2026.

The figures underline the extraordinary concentration of billionaire wealth at the top. Nigeria has four citizens on Forbes’ billionaire ranking, but Dangote alone now accounts for about seven out of every 10 dollars of their combined estimated fortunes.

Nigerian-born entrepreneurs Tope Awotona, founder of Calendly, and Adebayo Ogunlesi, founder of Global Infrastructure Partners, are classified as Americans by Forbes and therefore do not ap-pear in Nigeria's country count.

Dangote's valuation could change again after the refinery's public offer and subsequent market pricing provide investors with a clearer indication of what Africa's biggest refinery is worth.