5 African Millionaires in the U.S. You Should Know About

The hardships and limited opportunities has seen some Africans migrate to the United States in search of The American Dream. While some could not achieve this dream, some became part of African millionaires in the U.S., making their fortune in different sectors.

This has seen the country’s wealth increase and becomes home to the world’s highest number of millionaires and billionaires. Based on the 2022 Global Wealth Report, using three parameters, the number of adults, average wealth and wealth inequality, the United States has 24.5 million millionaires. This represents 39.2% of the total millionaires in the world, making it the highest in the world. Compared to 2020, it increased by 2.549 million.

Although this has seen the migration of talents out of Africa, some of these millionaires are giving back to the continent. Charlize Theron, a Hollywood star from South Africa, is giving back to her country through her involvement in different philanthropy activities.

Let’s have a look at some African millionaires in the U.S.

Adissa Barry – Burkina Faso

The Burkina Faso-born American entrepreneur is the founder of Tei Electrical Solutions, an electrical construction company. Today, her company has approximately $25 million in yearly revenue. She started her journey in 1992 when she migrated to the U.S. with her bachelor’s in accounting. Barry worked as a part-time controller in a construction company for 12 years. During this period, she noticed that many were unfamiliar with the term ‘construction account’. With this discovery, she started her business as a construction accountant.

Although she was an expert in construction management, her business partner suggested that the company could take the electric route as he was an expert in it. As an entrepreneur, she said, “Any opportunity that can grow into a business, let go for it.” To know what it is all about, she took night classes to get an electrical construction certification.

Despite being a male-dominated sector, she grew her company to be a multi-million dollar business based in Maryland and operates in Fredrick and Baltimore City. Though in the construction industry, she is also into other sectors, such as real estate. She owns houses and condos in different U.S. apartments. 

Akindele Kolade – Nigeria

Dr Akindele Kolade was born and raised in Nigeria before relocating to Czechoslovakia. There he attended medical school and became a medical practitioner. Upon his return to Nigeria, he worked in an oil company before branching out as an entrepreneur.

He pioneered the program of flying doctors. With an equipped helicopter, he flies with two nurses to remote places in Nigeria that have never seen a doctor. From Nigeria, he travelled to the United States.

Today, he is an established medical practitioner specialising in psychiatry in Las Vegas. He is subspecialised in child and adolescent psychiatry and addiction medicine. He is also the primary investigator at the Kolade Research Institute.

Kolade is Cal Psychiatry’s chief executive officer (CEO) and president. With over 20 years of experience, he provides consultation services to five other major hospitals in the U.S. The US-based psychiatrist is also a serial entrepreneur who owns a Lounge and a pharmacy.

With regard to a doctor owing a lounge, he said, “It is service. It is a service for people in different ways, whether in medicine or restaurants. Where you eat, relax and rest all bring about wellness and health.”

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Douglas Eze – Nigeria

Douglas Eze is a Nigerian-born wealth strategist and an award-winning insurance agent. He is also the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Largo Financial Services. During his decades of service, he gave people financial advice and helped them create lasting generational wealth by teaching and assisting them in growing and managing their businesses, assets, and insurance policies.

His vast knowledge in the field led to the publication of his first book Creating Generational Wealth. He said, “In terms of creating generational wealth, one of our recommendations to clients is setting up a trust that avoids probate and protects the asset on the forensic level.”

Zain Ejiofor Asher – Nigeria

Besides being the sister of the Academy Award-winning actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, the British Nigerian citizen is a news anchor at CNN International in New York City. She also anchors the network’s primetime, One World with Zain Asher airing on E.T.

She is also a New York-based author. She published her memoir titled Where The Children Take Us on April 2022.

Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu – Nigeria

The Nigerian-born Igbo ancestry Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu has indeed made a name for himself in the American medical sector. He is the first person who discovers chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players.

He earned the recognition by conducting two thorough research studies to prove his stance to the National Football League (NFL). Despite this, his findings were not accepted by the NFL until 2009, when the football body accepted that there is a link between concussions sustained in football and long-term neurological effects called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

In 2016, the American Medical Association gave Omalu a distinguished service award for his work on CTE.

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