No retreat, no surrender for Wicknell

FOR the 13th time in a row, Aliko Dangote has been named the richest man in Africa in 2023, with an estimated net worth of around US$13.7 billion.

The Nigerian business tycoon, who is the president and CEO of the Dangote Group, is also the richest black man in the world.

He is a devoted football fan, who loves Arsenal and has, on a number of occasions, tried to buy the English giants.

While he has not succeeded on that front, he has succeeded in business beyond any imagination.

It’s an empire he has built over time, in more than 30 years to be precise, and today he can afford to smile and relax knowing he has left a legacy for millions of Africans.

His company is the most valuable firm in West Africa and employs thousands of people wherever it has its footprints.

When he was 21, just after graduating from university in Egypt, Dangote borrowed US$3 000 from his uncle.

He used the money to import and sell agricultural commodities in Nigeria and his business venture quickly exploded and, within just three months, he had repaid the loan.

His father died when he was just eight and he grew under the guardianship of his grandfather, Sanusi Dantata.

Dangote’s story shows that it’s possible for one to pursue their dreams, no matter his or her background, and along the way strike gold and become a billionaire.

Of course, it’s not easy and all this requires hard work, discipline, dedication and a stroke of luck.

That is the reason why they are just 20 billionaires in Africa as of this year with the majority of them, six, being found in South Africa.

Zimbabwe and Tanzania have only one billionaire in each country while there are no billionaires in Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, Lesotho and other parts of Southern Africa.

Wicknell Chivayo says it’s his fate to become a billionaire, something that was foretold to him a long time back and something he has been pursuing relentlessly.

Wicknell started from the bottom, he lost his father when he was just 10 and was raised by his mother and once worked for a bus company which was owned by one of his father’s old friends.

Today, Wicknell is a very rich man. And, at the age of 41, he has accomplished much more than what millions of us can achieve in our lifetimes.

There will always be an element of controversy when it comes to his wealth with some people questioning its source and what he really does in life and business.

His response is that he is a businessman whose investments, across a number of countries, have helped him acquire his wealth.

He says he is now worth about US$100million and it’s now just a question of when, rather than if, he will become a billionaire.

He might not make that exclusive list but what one cannot take away from him is that he is an ambitious man who simply refuses to be ordinary.

Just making US$100 million is a grand achievement for Wicknell.