Forbes names Dangote, Trump, others world’s most powerful people

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has been named along other world leaders as the most powerful people in the world. The recognition by famed American business magazine, Forbes, also listed Russian President, Vladimir Putin; United States’ President-elect, Donald Trump and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, among the over 70 personalities. Dangote was ranked as the second most powerful in the African continent.

Listed as number 71 most powerful last year, Dangote moved up the ladder of influential people as he was named as the 68th most powerful in the world, coming only after the Egyptian President, Abdel el-Sisi, who was adjudged the most powerful in Africa and 44th in the world.

The Nigerian business mogul has constantly featured in the list since 2013 when he was listed as the only black African so rated by Forbes Magazine in the list of 100 most powerful persons.

Forbes, in the latest edition of its 74 World Most Powerful People ranking list released at the weekend, identified 64-year-old Putin as the most powerful personality in the world ahead of Trump, who is second.

According to Forbes, while Merkel is ranked the third most powerful person, outgoing US President, Barack Obama, came 48th on the list. Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, was recognised as the fifth most powerful person while the world’s richest, Bill Gates, was placed seventh.

Chinese President, Xi Jinping, is number four while Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, emerged number 10 most powerful person in the world. While Forbes acknowledged that there were nearly 7.4 billion people on planet earth, it, however, said that the 74 men and women recognised made the world turn.

As at 2013, Dangote was the only African listed among the most powerful people in the world before the Egyptian President now recently featured on the list.

Dangote had won the ‘2016 African Business Leader Award,’ organised by the Africa-America Institute (AAI), in New York in September. The Dangote Foundation, the most endowed Foundation in Africa established by him also won the ‘2016 African Philanthropy of the Year Award,’ at the All Africa Business Leaders Award (AABLA), put together by CNBC Africa, in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2016.

The magazine is well known for its lists and rankings, including its lists of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400) and rankings of world’s top companies (the Forbes Global 2000).

Another well-known list by the magazine is the The World’s Billionaires list. Last month, Dangote was named among 50 world’s most influential personalities by Bloomberg, the renowned United States-based news media with bias for business and financial news reporting. The group of personalities chosen by the Bloomberg Market consisted of CEOs, world leaders, as well as religious leaders.

As expected, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Pope Francis made the list with Dangote at number 41 on the list. According to Bloomberg, those on the list “build companies and assemble fortunes. They run banks, or hope to disrupt them.

They shape economies and spread ideas. They manage money and wield the clout that goes with the billions of dollars they invest.” Bloomberg said: “Aliko Dangote, Founder, Dangote Group, Africa’s most successful businessman, built his fortune in sugar, textiles, and cement in his native Nigeria, where today, he is a political as well as a financial power broker.

He is expanding in other countries and may list his cement company in London stock market.” Also, another list compiled by business news network, CNBC, which highlights those who have disrupted industries, sparked change and exercised an influence far beyond their own companies, listed Dangote among 24 others.