Meet Three Nigerians Who Made Forbes List Of Wealthiest Black Americans

Three Nigerians have earned a spot on Forbes’ 2024 list of the most influential and wealthiest Black Americans.

These billionaires, Wemimo Abbey, Tope Awotona, and Adebayo Ogunlesi, are making remarkable strides in the United States.

Wemimo Abbey – Transforming Credit with Esusu

At just 32 years old, Wemimo Abbey is the Cofounder and Co-CEO of Esusu, a fintech company based in New York.

Esusu helps renters improve their credit scores by reporting rent payments to credit bureaus. With over 20,000 properties offering its services, Esusu has positively impacted 1.8 million Americans.

In 2022, the company secured $130 million in funding, reaching a valuation of $1 billion.

Abbey, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, has a background in mergers and acquisitions from PWC and also cofounded a non-profit and a data analytics startup.

Report has it that Wemimo Abbey’s mother sold her wedding ring to support his education and move to the U.S.

Tope Awotona – The Visionary Behind Calendly

Tope Awotona, 43, is the founder and CEO of Calendly, a leading scheduling software valued at $3 billion in 2021.

Born in Lagos, he moved to Atlanta at 15 and later switched his university major from computer science to business and management information.

After several attempts at startups, Awotona took a bold step in 2013, investing his 401(k) savings to create Calendly out of frustration with email-based meeting scheduling.

Following years of bootstrapping, he raised $350 million in 2021 to scale the business, which now makes him worth an estimated $1.4 billion.

Adebayo Ogunlesi – A Global Infrastructure Pioneer

Adebayo Ogunlesi, 70, is the Chairman and cofounder of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a private equity firm specializing in infrastructure investments.

In October 2024, BlackRock acquired GIP for $12.5 billion, with Ogunlesi retaining his role as chairman and CEO.

Ogunlesi holds degrees from Oxford and Harvard and started his career clerking for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

He later worked as an attorney before spending over two decades as an investment banker at Credit Suisse. His net worth is now estimated at $1.7 billion.

The Forbes list also features prominent figures such as Dr. Dre, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Gary Linnen, among others.

Meanwhile, Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote has reclaimed his position as the richest person in Africa, surpassing South African business magnate, Johann Rupert.