 14 richest African immigrants in America. African immigrant business owners are making a name for themselves in many American communities today by establishing vital institutions and firms aimed at solving global problems. These operations span construction companies, energy sectors, transportation industries, space projects, financial entities and fields such as entertainment and cosmetics, generating enormous income and wealth. This is not surprising given that African immigrants to the United States have higher levels of education than any other native-born ethnic group, including white Americans. In the United Kingdom, roughly half of African immigrants have some college education, whereas in France, the percentage is 30%. Africans have also embraced business, and these entrepreneurs benefit not only the communities in which they live, but also their home continent, Africa, by creating supply chains for commodities, goods, services and opportunities. These entrepreneurs have become household names all over the world, though some have taken critical steps to remain anonymous. Nonetheless, through their wealth-generating activities, these operations have successfully attracted a sizable portion of the vast American economy. Join us in our video today, which explores the 14 richest African immigrants in America. 14. Trevor Noe Trevor Noe, born 20 February 1984, is a South African comedian and television host who currently hosts The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Noe has received numerous honors, including a Primetime Emmy Award, after receiving 11 nominations. In 2017 and 2018, The Hollywood Reporter named him one of the 35 most powerful people in New York media. In 2018, Time Magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. The net worth of this comedian, actor, television host and radio DJ is $100 million. 13. Charlize Theron Charlize Theron is a $170 million net worth South African-born actress, model and producer. Charlize is a high-paid brand endorser for companies such as Raymond Whale and Christian Dior outside of her acting career. Charlize Theron is consistently one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world, with an annual salary that can easily exceed $30-40 million. 12. Roan Ozo Roan Ozo is a wealthy American businessman with a fortune of $200 million. Roan Ozo, also known as the Brandfather, is a business executive with a golden touch when it comes to high-profile celebrity-backed marketing deals. While working at Coca-Cola in the early 2000s, he had his first big success with the Sprite and Powerade brands. Roan left Coca-Cola in 2001 to oversee the marketing of a new drink called Vitamin Water. It was Ozo's idea to hire 50 Cent to appear in Vitamin Water's early campaigns that put the brand on the map. Ozo was born in Zambia to an Indian family. He attended Harrow School. Ozo went on to Nottingham University to study manufacturing and industrial engineering. 11. Oled Benge Abula Oled Benge Abula is a shining example of the bridge that African immigrants are building between America and Africa. Abula was born in Nigeria and came to the United States to further his education at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. But it was his decision to establish Flutterwave in Lagos in 2016 that had the most impact on Africa's digital payment systems. Flutterwave accepts 150 currencies and is used in 34 of Africa's 54 countries, including Ghana, South Africa and Uganda. More than 25,000 entrepreneurs sell their ways through the Flutterwave store and the company processes payments for over 300,000 merchants. Flutterwave raised $250 million from investors in February 2022, raising its valuation to $3 billion and making it the highest-valued African startup. 10. Hekim Abdul Alajwan Hekim Abdul Alajwan, born January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria, is a Nigerian-born American professional basketball player who led the Houston Rockets to consecutive NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. Alajwan had never played basketball before the age of 15, instead preferring to play association football, soccer, and team handball in Lagos, Nigeria. The 7-foot, 2.13 meter center was recruited to play college basketball in the United States at the University of Houston after two years of acquainting himself with the sport. Hekim Alajwan is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player with a $300 million net worth. 9. Ikenna Okazi Ikenna Okazi was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States when he was two years old. He grew up in Detroit, where his father and brother were both doctors. He received his medical training at Harvard University, but it was his prior education in economics at Yale and later an MBA from Harvard Business School that enabled him to successfully combine the worlds of business and medicine when he founded Sometis in 2016. Sometis is now America's largest provider of value-based kidney care. Sometis has grown to provide high quality and customized care to nearly 21,000 patients with kidney disease across multiple states, employ over 300 clinical and operational leaders, and form innovative value-based partnerships with leading health plans, health systems, and providers since its inception. 8. Mary and Richelieu Dennis Richelieu Dennis and his mother Mary are one of the most unlikely African immigrant success stories forced to overstay in America due to the war and prompted by unemployment to begin making soap and she-butter products at home. Dennis and his high school roommate hope their wares on the streets of New York before establishing Sundial Brands. The company grew to become one of the largest immigrant-owned cosmetic businesses in America before being purchased by Unilever for $1.6 billion, making Richelieu Dennis and his mother among the wealthiest African immigrants in America. 7. Topa Watona Topa Watona is the founder and CEO of Calendly, a scheduling software company. Calendly was founded by Watona, a former salesman for companies such as EMC, now Dell EMC, in response to his own frustration with the back-and-forth emails required to schedule meetings. Calendly was bootstrapped for years before a $350 million investment in 2021 valued the company at $3 billion. Overturner moved to the United States as a teenager after being born in Lakers, Nigeria. Before starting Calendly, he tried and failed at a few other businesses, including one that sold projectors and another that sold garden tools. 6. Keisla Wall Keisla Wall, a Nigerian-born oil and gas baron, is one of America's richest Africans, with a net worth of more than $3 billion. While other major oil companies have been making headlines for everything from overpaid CEOs to accounting scandals, KCL La Wall has been quietly constructing a gas and oil empire. La Wall is the CEO and Chairman of Kamak Holdings Incorporated, a Houston-based oil and gas exploration and refining company. La Wall has built his family-owned firm into a billion-dollar enterprise since 1986, using a combination of hard-nosed business acumen and extensive African contacts. 5. Adebayo Oganlesi Adebayo Oganlesi had a quiet life in America until his name was brought to the attention of Africans and Americans by Bonobo's hit song Wonderful. Despite his modest demeanor, Oganlesi's achievements in law and finance belie his Nigerian heritage. Oganlesi is the founder and chairman of GIP, the world's largest infrastructure-focused private equity firm with $77 billion in assets under management. Oganlesi's fortune is unknown because he has used his extensive knowledge of law and finance to keep his financial dealings hidden from the media. There are over 70 companies with a combined annual revenue of $45 billion and approximately 62,000 employees. 4. Nasasaurus Nasasaurus made headlines in the United States in 2014 when he paid $70 million for the penthouse at 965th Avenue in New York. To strengthen his ties with the city, Nasif purchased a 5% stake in the New York-listed Madison Square Garden Sports, which owns the NBA Knicks and the NHL Rangers. In December of 2020, Nasas' investments in America, Egypt and elsewhere have continued to make headlines. His wealth has increased dramatically, owing primarily to the appreciation of his Adidas stock. According to Bloomberg, his net worth has increased to $7.6 billion. Nasif remains Egypt's and the Arab world's wealthiest man. 3. Patrick Soonshion Patrick Soonshion is a South African-American transplant surgeon, business billionaire, bioscientist and media mogul. He created the drug Abraxeng, which became well-known for its effectiveness against lung, breast and pancreatic cancer. He is worth $7.4 billion in 2022, down from $7.8 billion in 2020. Patrick Soonshion may have lost a few hundred dollars, but his worth to Africa increased exponentially after establishing a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant in South Africa. The pandemic has highlighted a global lack of access to life-saving vaccines, particularly in Africa, where only about 10% of the population has received full COVID-19 vaccination. He has pledged 100 million rand, $6.5 million, for scholarships to train South Africans in order to ensure a pipeline of skilled workers. 2. Dr. Ekindilay Kolode Dr. Ekindilay Kolode was born in Nigeria but now lives in Las Vegas. He is the Kolode Research Institute's principal investigator and a medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry. He is the CEO and president of Cal Psychiatry. He is also a serial entrepreneur who owns a restaurant and a pharmacy. Dr. Kolode is an expert in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as addiction medicine. Because of his more than 20 years of experience, he also consults for five other major hospitals in the United States. 1. Elon Musk's Elon Musk's fortune has grown from $59 billion in 2020 to $225 billion in 2022. He is now the world's richest man and in 2021 he became the single largest taxpayer in American history, paying the American government $11 billion in taxes. The eccentric billionaire paid $455 million in federal income tax between 2014 and 2018. Elon Musk's fortune has grown significantly as the company's valuation has risen to $1 trillion. Musk owns a 20% stake in Tesla. He also serves as the CEO of SpaceX, the aerospace company he founded. SpaceX transports NASA astronauts to the International Space Station and is developing a satellite constellation to deliver broadband internet. SpaceX is now valued at $100 billion. That is more than the combined GDP of several African countries. Thanks for watching. Please make sure to like, share, comment and subscribe to Africa Reloaded for more exciting and interesting content.