3 Nigerian Billionaires Featured on Forbes 2024 List of Wealthiest Black Americans

Forbes has released its 2024 list of the top 50 richest and most influential Black Americans, known as the ForbesBLK 50. This year, three Nigerians made the list: Adebayo Ogunlesi, Tope Awotona, and Wemimo Abbey. 

Unlike previous lists that focused mostly on wealth, this new list also celebrates innovation, positive impact on society, and leadership in various fields.

Adebayo Ogunlesi, with a net worth of $1.7 billion, is recognised for his leadership in global infrastructure investment. He is the chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a major company that BlackRock acquired in 2024 for $12.5 billion.

Educated as a lawyer at Harvard and a former banker at Credit Suisse, Ogunlesi has significantly influenced the international business scene, especially in infrastructure investments.

Tope Awotona, who founded Calendly, is valued at $1.4 billion. He changed the way people schedule meetings with his company. Awotona was born in Lagos, moved to Atlanta, and started Calendly in 2013 after being frustrated by how hard it was to arrange meetings. In 2021, Calendly was valued at $3 billion after raising $350 million, and it now helps millions of users worldwide.

Wemimo Abbey is the youngest Nigerian on the list at 32. He co-founded Esusu, a fintech company that helps people improve their credit scores by tracking rent payments. 

Esusu, which works with over 20,000 properties, reached a $1 billion valuation in 2022 after securing $130 million in funding. Abbey, who grew up in Lagos and worked in mergers and acquisitions consulting, is passionate about using technology to drive social change.