Amanze ChinonyeNigerian-born investment banker and infrastructure mogul Adebayo Ogunlesi has entered Africa’s top ten richest individuals after his net worth surged by $800 million in 2025, driven by gains in his stake in global asset management giant BlackRock.
According to Billionaires.Africa, Ogunlesi’s fortune climbed from about $1.7 billion at the start of the year to $2.5 billion as of August, propelled by a rally in BlackRock’s share price. The increase comes 19 months after BlackRock’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the private equity firm Ogunlesi co-founded in 2006.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAs part of the blockbuster deal, Ogunlesi received roughly 1.82 million BlackRock shares valued at more than $1.3 billion today alongside $600 million in cash. He was also appointed to BlackRock’s board, cementing his influence in the global finance arena.
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BlackRock stock has risen by about 10 per cent year-to-date, reversing a market dip in late 2024 that had temporarily reduced the billionaire’s paper wealth to around $2.2 billion in March.
A Harvard-trained lawyer and former Credit Suisse executive, Ogunlesi is best known for GIP’s investments in airports, energy plants, and transport hubs across multiple continents. His rise from King’s College, Lagos, to the helm of one of the world’s largest infrastructure investment funds has made him one of Nigeria’s most prominent figures in global finance.
Ogunlesi’s ascent places him ninth on the continent’s wealth leaderboard, ahead of Nigerian tycoon Femi Otedola ($2.4 billion) and just behind Abdul Samad Rabiu ($3 billion). The list is led by industrialist Aliko Dangote ($13.4 billion), followed by South Africa’s Johann Rupert and Nicky Oppenheimer.
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