The 20 Most Powerful People in African Business 2012

These are the corporate titans and leaders who set the African economic agenda. Their voices are much listened to within Africa’s business and political circles, and through their resolutions and actions, they shape the economic future of the continent.

This is admittedly a subjective list, but I believe it to be accurate. Meet the 20 most powerful people in African business for the year 2012.

Marius Kloppers CEO, BHP Billiton

Nationality: South African

Kloppers, 50, is the head of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company. Born in South Africa, Kloppers studied chemical engineering at the University of Pretoria, earned his MBA at INSEAD and completed his Doctorate at MIT. He worked at Sasol (SSL), Mintek and McKinsey & Co, before joining global resources giant BHP Billiton in 1993. He became C.E.O in 2007. A few weeks after taking the reins of the company, Kloppers launched an audacious takeover bid for rival mining giant Rio Tinto. The deal fell through, but Kloppers has performed remarkably well nevertheless: Last year, the company posted a $22.5 billion profit. BHP extracts resources like aluminum, coal, nickel, iron ore, oil, gas, copper and uranium from mines and facilities located on 6 continents.

Aliko Dangote President, Dangote Group

Nationality: Nigerian

Africa’s richest man is also one of its most influential business leaders. The Nigerian-born commodities tycoon is founder and president of the Dangote group, West Africa’s largest industrial conglomerate, with manufacturing interests in sugar, flour and cement across West, East and South Africa. His listed Dangote Cement accounts for more than a quarter of the total market capitalization of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He is looking to list the company on the London Stock Exchange next year. Last year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan conferred the tycoon with the national award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON), the country’s second highest national honor.

Brian Joffe, CEO, Bidvest Group

Nationality: South African

Meet the man who created the Bidvest Group- Africa’s closest comparison to General Electric. Joffe, 65, founded Bidvest in 1988 with a $1 million cash shell, and built the group into one of Africa’s largest conglomerates.  Today, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed $7.2 billion (market cap) international services, distribution and trading company operates on four continents and employs over 100,000 people.  The company’s key assets include Bidvest Freight, sub-Saharan Africa’s largest privately-held freight management business; Bidvest Automotive, a leading South African motor vehicle retailer; a thriving financial services division and the world’s largest food service outfit outside North America. Joffe, a trained chartered accountant, is chief executive of the company.

Jacko Maree, CEO, Standard Bank Group

Nationality: South Africa

Jacko Maree, 53, a former Rhodes scholar, is the CEO of the Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest financial services conglomerate. The $23 billion (market cap) behemoth operates in 33 different countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Turkey, Russia, Argentina and Jersey. Maree is also chairman of The Banking Association (S.A.) and is a former director of the International Monetary Conference. He has been named South Africa’s most trusted CEO at least 3 times.

Cyril Ramaphosa Executive Chairman, Shanduka Group

Nationality: South African

Ramaphosa, 59, is one of South Africa’s most powerful figures in business and politics. His first taste of power was in the 1980s as a trade union leader in South Africa when he founded the National Union of Mineworkers to improve the rights of black African workers. In the early 90s, he was elected as secretary general of the country’s leading political party, the African National Congress (ANC) and played a key role in negotiating with the National Party during the country’s transition to democracy. He became a member of the country’s parliament in 1994 but resigned three years later to build a career in business. Today, his privately-held and highly influential investment holding company, Shanduka Group, owns substantial stakes in South African mining giant Assore, Standard Bank, CocaCola Shanduka (a joint venture with CocaCola), insurance, telecom and extensive real estate holdings. Last year, he acquired the South African operations of American fast food giant, McDonald’s. Ramaphosa, a very senior member of the ANC, is frequently mentioned as a possible future president.

Raymond Ackerman Founder, Pick n Pay

Nationality: South African

In 1966, at the age of 35, Raymond Ackerman was fired from his position as a Managing Director at South African food retailer, Checkers.  He used his severance pay to acquire four retail outlets in Cape Town which traded under the name Pick n Pay. Under Ackerman’s management, Pick n Pay grew to 794 stores around Southern Africa, Mauritius and Australia. Current Market Cap: $1.2 billion. Ackerman stepped down as Executive Chairman in 2010, handing over the reins to his son, Gareth. Dedicated philanthropist: Through his Ackerman Family Educational Trust, he supports about 60 students through university.

Patrice Motsepe Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals

Nationality: South African

Motsepe, 50, trained as a lawyer at the University of Witwatersrand then went on to become the first black partner at storied Johannesburg-based commercial law firm, Bowman Gilfillan. He later founded a small contracting business doing mine scut work before buying low-producing gold shaft mines in 1994, and turned them profitable using lean management style. Today he is the Executive Chairman of $5 billion (market capitalization) African Rainbow Minerals which produces platinum, nickel, chrome, iron, manganese, coal, copper and gold. Motsepe is also the largest individual shareholder at the company.

Christo Wiese Chairman, Shoprite

Nationality: South African

Christo Wiese is the chairman and largest individual shareholder of Africa’s largest retailer, low-price supermarket chain Shoprite. He also owns a controlling stake in discount clothes, shoes and textiles chain Pepkor as well a significant shareholding in private equity firm Brait. Wiese also has significant real estate holdings, and a stake in Pallinghurst, a private equity firm focused on mining and solid minerals.

Tony Elumelu Executive Chairman, Heirs Holdings & The Tony Elumelu Foundation

Nationality: Nigerian

In 1997, Tony Elumelu led a small group of investors to take over a distressed medium-sized commercial bank in Lagos. He transformed the bank into what we know today as the UBA Group- a $2 billion (market capitalization) Pan-African financial services behemoth spanning 20 African countries with over $12 billion in assets and over 10,000 employees. In 2010, he stepped down as Chief Executive of the bank and went on to found Heirs Holdings- an Africa-focused holding company that invests in African companies across important sectors of the economy. He also founded the Tony Elumelu Foundation, an influential non-profit which grooms and mentors business students from across the continent, and equips them with the tools to succeed as entrepreneurs.

Maria Ramos CEO, Absa Group

Nationality: South African

Maria Ramos, 53, is one of the continent’s most respected public administrators and business leaders. In 2009, she was appointed Chief Executive of the Absa Group, South Africa’s second largest financial services group by market capitalization. Before taking up the reins at Absa, Ramos enjoyed a successful career in South Africa’s public sector, including serving as the country’s Director General for the National Treasury, and most recently as Group Chief Executive of Transnet Limited, the state-owned rail, pipeline and ports agency.

Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita CEO, ArcelorMittal SA

Nationality: South African

51 year-old Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita heads the South African operations of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel producer. These are particularly challenging times for ArcelorMittal SA. The company is at risk of facing a $390 million fine over charges of price fixing and the South African government recently excluded the company from participating in an infrastructure procurement program which could benefit local manufacturers.  Consolation: ArcelorMittal South Africa is still the continent’s biggest steel company. Annual production capacity: 7.8 million tons. Nyembezi-Heita started off as an engineer at IBM’s Research Triangle Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, before proceeding to work for the company in South Africa. She had a stint as CEO of South African financial services firm, Alliance Capital, before joining Vodacom as head of its Mergers and Acquisition division. She became CEO of ArcelorMittal SA in 2008. Also serves as Chairman of the Bond Exchange of South Africa Limited and as a Non-Executive Director at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Limited and Old Mutual.

Nicky Oppenheimer Chairman, De Beers Group

Nationality: South African

South Africa’s richest man still remains Chairman of De Beers,the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds, despite a decision to sell his family’s 40% stake in the company last November to mining giant Anglo American. Oppenheimer remains committed to investing in Africa: His family is a joint venture partner with Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings in Tana Africa, a private equity fund focused on the agricultural and consumer goods sectors across Africa.

Johann Rupert Chairman, Richemont, Reinet Investments SCA, and Remgro

Nationality: South African

South African Johann Rupert is chairman and chief executive of Richemont, a Swiss luxury goods company that owns premium brands like Alfred Dunhill, Cartier, Montblanc and Chloé. Also owns online fashion portal Net-a-Porter. In South Africa, Rupert owns significant investment interests in mining, tobacco, financial services and media held through holding companies Remgro, Venfin and Reinet Investments SCA. Rupert is chairman of all three companies. He has been Chancellor of Stellenbosch University since 2009.

Manu Chandaria Chairman, Comcraft Group

Nationality: Kenyan

East Africa’s most venerable business leader is chairman of the Comcraft Group, a $2 billion industrial behemoth which produces steel, plastics, and aluminum products from manufacturing facilities in 45 countries – 16 of which are in Africa. Total workforce: Over 40,000 people. Also Kenya’s biggest philanthropist. His Chandaria Foundation is active in over seven countries, and has given away millions to causes in education, health and the arts. Chandaria, 83, holds the title of the Elder of the Burning Spear, one of Kenya’s highest civilian honors.

Naushad Merali, Chairman, Sameer Group

Nationality: Kenyan

In 2000, the Kenyan-Asian tycoon partnered with French media giant Vivendi to found Kencell, a Kenyan mobile phone service provider, which he later sold off to Celtel and Bharti Airtel. He still owns 5% of Bharti Airtel’s operations in Kenya, and serves as chairman of the board. But the bulk of his power and fortune comes from his ownership of one of East Africa’s largest conglomerates- the $2 billion (Annual turnover) eponymous Sameer Group which owns some of the most popular companies in the Kenya’s financial services, construction, agriculture, energy and ICT sectors. Merali is chairman of the group. His son, Sameer Merali is heir apparent.

Sheikh Mohammed Al-Amoudi, Chairman MIDROC Ethiopia Investment Group

Nationality: Ethiopian and Saudi Arabian

The richest black person in the world is as Ethiopian as he is Saudi. Born in Ethiopia to a Saudi father and Ethiopian mother, the Sheikh immigrated to Saudi Arabia as a child and made a fortune executing lucrative construction contracts for the Saudi royal family. Al-Amoudi is Ethiopia’s biggest investor. In February, he announced a $3.4 billion investment in Ethiopia through his MIDROC Ethiopia Investment Group to be ploughed into agriculture, cement, steel, transport and hospitality. Al-Amoudi also owns gold mines in the country and the landmark 5-star Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa.

Onsi Sawiris Founder, Orascom Group

Nationality: Egyptian

In 1971, the Egyptian government nationalized Onsi Sawiris’ first construction business. Undeterred, he went on to build Orascom Construction Industries, the flagship company of the Orascom Group which has interests in telecoms, infrastructure, hotels and tourism. The companies are all run by his three sons- Naguib, Samih and Nassef.

Strive Masiyiwa Executive Chairman, Econet Wireless

Nationality: Zimbabwean

Zimbabwe’s richest man is the founder and executive chairman of Econet Wireless, a publicly-listed mobile telecoms company with operations in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Burundi and Rwanda; company owns a 3G license in New Zealand. New ambition: Looking to build Africa’s largest solar power company. Last November, the born-again Christian tycoon launched the Econet Power Station- a revolutionary solar power device which will allow individuals and families across Africa to light up their homes, charge their mobile phones and generally utilize energy at a relatively low cost compared to solar energy devices currently available in Africa. Masiyiwa remains one of Africa’s most respected businessmen, and one of the world’s most respected entrepreneurs of African origin. Along with Virgin billionaire Richard Branson, he is a co-founder of the Carbon War Room, an organization that seeks to implement market-driven solutions to climate change. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Rockefeller and Conrad N. Hilton Foundations. Also one of Africa’s most generous philanthropists: His charitable foundation, the Capernaum Trust, which he runs in partnership with his wife, pays the school fees of over 22,000 Zimbabwean orphans.

Koos Bekker, CEO, Naspers

Nationality: South African

The Rupert Murdoch of Africa is the CEO and largest individual shareholder of Naspers, Africa’s largest media conglomerate. Once a Newspaper company (Naspers means “National Press), Bekker is transforming the $23 billion (Market capitalization) media behemoth into a global internet giant. The group owns significant media and internet interests in over 120 countries including key stakes in global internet blue chips such as Mail.ru, Tencent, Ibibo, Buzzcity and a minority shareholding in Facebook. The company also owns Africa’s largest Pay-TV outfit, DSTV as well as the continent’s largest magazine and newspaper publisher- Media24.  He has served as Chief executive of Naspers since 1997.

Naguib Sawiris Founder, Orascom Telecom Holding

Nationality: Egyptian

Naguib, the eldest son of Onsi Sawiris, built Orascom Telecom into Egypt’s dominant mobile phone company before merging the firm with Russian telecom giant Vimpelcom in April 2011 in a $6.5 billion deal. He’s among the company’s largest individual shareholders. Sawiris also wields significant clout in his country’s politics. A vocal critic of former president Hosni Mubarak’s regime, he acted as a mediator between the government and the opposition in implementing political reforms after Mubarak stepped down in the aftermath of the Egyptian Arab Spring revolution. He’s also a founder of the Free Egyptians party, a political party that seeks to promote free markets and a secular platform.  French President Nicholas Sarkozy recently granted Sawiris France’s highest badge of honor, the Honor Choir, in recognition of his “efforts and contributions in promoting the cooperation between Egypt and France in the fields of industry, development and community service.”