Nigerian-born entrepreneurs Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi and Tope Awotona have secured positions on Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s richest immigrants.
The ranking features 125 billionaires from 41 countries, collectively holding 18% of total U.S. billionaire wealth. Ogunlesi, founder of global infrastructure investment firm Global Infrastructure Partners, ranks 77th with a $2.4 billion net worth. Awotona, creator of scheduling platform Calendly, places 106th with $1.4 billion.
Africa claims seven spots on the prestigious list. South African-born Elon Musk leads both the immigrant ranking and global wealth charts with $393.1 billion.
Other African representatives include Egypt’s Haim Saban ($3.1B, media), Morocco’s Marc Lasry ($1.9B, finance), and Kenya’s Bharat Desai ($1.6B, technology). South Africa contributes three billionaires: Musk, healthcare magnate Patrick Soon-Shiong ($5.6B), and energy drink tycoon Rodney Sacks ($3.6B).
Forbes highlights that 93% of these billionaires are self-made, attributing their success to resilience and innovation.
The cohort has grown significantly from 92 individuals in 2022, reflecting increased immigrant entrepreneurship in sectors like technology and finance.
Elon Musk maintains his top position, followed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin ($139.7B) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang ($137.9B).
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