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With a USD 2.19 trillion GDP, the African economy has been showing signs of growth in the last two decades. Africa has over 140,000 millionaires and a steady growth rate. All these impressive numbers do bring a lot of questions to mind. The biggest of them is what the name of the richest company in Africa is? And what does it do? The African economy is a mix of trade, agriculture, and human resources of the continent. All these things come together to create a very interesting mix of businesses spread across its 54 countries. With that, let’s go ahead and explore the 100 richest companies in Africa. We’ll also see what these companies do, how much they earn, and what is their employee strength.
1. FirstRand
FirstRand Limited or the FirstRand Group is among the largest provider of Financial Services in South Africa.
The richest companies in Africa in the banking sector began 182 years ago in 1838.
The group provides insurance, banking, and investment products.
This group provides these services to commercial, retail, public as well as the corporate sector.
FirstRand is the richest company that has its presence in eight countries in Africa, including the likes of Ghana, Swaziland, Nambia, and Nigeria, among others.
Outside Africa, it also has branches in India, Guernsey as well as London.
It is also among the largest banking groups of sub-Saharan Africa.
It has over 44,900 employees.
The group’s net income was an estimated USD 1.8 billion.
2. Standard Bank of South Africa Limited
The Standard Banking Group is one of the leading providers of financial services on the continent.
It is also Africa’s largest lender in terms of assets.
This is a 157-year old banking group.
It services countries across the globe.
Standard Bank has total assets of over USD 142 billion as per last estimates.
It employs over 54,767 people.
The bank has a presence in not just Africa but in Asia and Europe too.
It has also recently acquired Russia’s largest investment bank Troika.
3. Imperial Holdings
Imperial Holdings started in 1946 with a focus on transport and distribution.
From there on, they have expanded into warehousing as well as synchronization management.
It has its HQ in Bedfordview in South Africa.
Imperial Holdings is one of the biggest companies in South Africa.
The company also deals with international freight management and works in several industries.
Imperial Holdings is one of the most renowned logistics company all through the supply chain.
Innovation and a continuous focus on improvement is key to its working.
As of now, they employ over 51,000 people, with revenues exceeding USD 10 billion.
4. Sonangol
Sonangol started in 1976 in Angola.
Their main purpose was to check the petrol and natural gas production in the country.
It has its headquarters in Luanda, Angola.
The country’s government owns most of the stake in this company.
It also controls many other companies.
Angola currently has more than 5 billion barrels in coastal and offshore petrol reserves.
Sonangol has offices in America, Europe, and Asia.
It also sponsors several arts and sports across Africa.
Apart from this, Sonangol also has its interests in technology and real estate.
5. Sonatrach
Sonatrach is the richest company in Africa in the oil industry.
It started in 1963, and it has over 154 subsidiaries across Africa.
They employ over 120,000 people and make 30% of Algeria’s total GNP or Gross National Product.
Sonatrach produces around 307 million ToE (Tonne of Oil equivalent) in a year.
It is also in charge of the largest oil fields in Africa.
This company ranks 11 in the world in comparison to other oil majors.
Apart from this, they are also a 51% owner of Air Algerie, a passenger and commercial airline company.
6. Steinhoff International
Started by Bruno Steinhoff over 56 years ago, Steinhoff International is a manufacturer, source, and retailer of household goods and furniture.
Their presence is across Africa, Australia, and Europe.
Apart from this, Steinhoff International is also the owner of several industries across Africa.
These include passenger services, supply chain solutions, manufacturing, and timber products, among other things.
With over 130,000 people on its payroll and revenues and revenues over EUR 12 billion, which makes this company in this list of richest companies in Africa is no secret.
The company was originally founded in Germany.
It moved its headquarters to South Africa around 1998.
7. The Bidvest Group
The Bidvest Group, based in South Africa, is a trading and services company.
It was started in 1988 by Brian Joffe.
This company went public in 1990.
They have holdings in more than 300 different companies.
With more than 137,00 people working for it, it also has its own Bidvest Bank.
Bidvest is also into many other business lines.
Some of them include automobiles, office & print services, real estate, and even insurance.
They also reported revenue of over USD 5 billion in 2015.
Prolog Projects is one of the main rivals of this group.
8. MTN Group
MTN Group is a major telecom company in South Africa.
It was earlier known as M-Cell and was started in 1994.
It has over 232 million customers, which makes it one of the richest companies in Africa.
They are ranked at number 8 globally in terms of mobile networks.
The group is the largest one in Africa. It also has customers in over 20 nations.
35% of the total revenue of this company is from Nigeria.
MTN Group is also one of the sponsors of Manchester City F.C, which is an English soccer club.
9. Sasol
Sasol Ltd has its HQ in Sandton in South Africa.
This company is an integrated chemical and energy company.
One of the richest companies in Africa.
They started in 1950 and today has more than 30,000 people working for it.
It also has operations in more than 33 countries.
Sasol reported a revenue of over USD 21.8 billion last year.
It develops many commercial technologies.
Some of those are related to synthetic fuels, chemicals, and electricity.
Sasol is listed on the stock exchanges of Johannesburg as well as New York.
It competes globally with companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil.
10. Bidford
Bidford, earlier known as BidCorp, is a part of the Bidvest company.
This company has interests in agriculture around South Africa.
What makes it one of the richest companies in Africa is the annual turnover.
This figure stands at over USD 7 billion.
Bidford is present on four continents and was first started in 1999.
They currently have more than 5,000 people working for them.
Their headquarters are in different locations across the United States.
They were first listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in May 2016.
11. Eskom
When talking about the richest company in Africa, you cannot skip Eskom.
This is an electricity public-utility in South Africa.
It has been around since 1923, which is over 97 years.
Eskom is Africa’s largest electricity producer.
Also, it ranks number 7 in the world in terms of its capacity for electricity generation.
Apart from this, it is also ranked at number 9 in the world in terms of its sales.
They operate many power stations along with Africa’s first nuclear power plant.
As of 2019, Eskom had more than 46,000 people working for it.
12. Massmart Holdings
Massmart Holdings Ltd is among the largest merchandise retailers in Africa.
Their retail chains in liquor, home goods, and food are the 2nd biggest in Africa.
Massmart is also the owner of several local brands.
Some of the names under them include Makro, Game, and CBW.
Currently, the group has 442 stores across Sub-Saharan Countries and South Africa.
The Massmart House, its head office, is in Sandton in Johannesburg.
This company started in 1990 and grew to a 45,000-employee organization.
It has a net income of around R1.3 billion as of 2016.
The company does not have any presence outside Africa yet.
13. ShopRite Holdings
The largest supermarket retailer in Africa is ShopRite Holdings.
This group employs more than 146,000 people.
It has a network of centers across 15 countries and thousands of stores.
What makes this company unique is that it serves the local areas with a low-price promise.
ShopRite Holdings estimates more than 35 million people are shopping in their 2,738 stores each day.
They were formed in 1979. Its HQ is in Brackenfell in South Africa.
It has a market cap of over R96 billion, which makes it one of the richest companies in Africa.
14. SPAR Group
SPAR is a name that many people will have heard.
The Spar Group is one of the leading retailers globally.
It is based in South Africa, with interests in field marketing as well as retail.
It is no surprise that this group’s annual turnover was well above €34.5 billion in 2017.
While it has HQ in New York, they have a branch located in East Africa in Tanzania.
The Spar Group started in 1932 and employed over 300 people in Africa and over 350,000 people worldwide.
They have a presence not only in Africa but also in Asia and in many European countries.
15. The Bidvest Group South Africa
The Bidvest Group of South Africa is a distribution, foodservice and trading major.
This conglomerate is the parent of more than 300 companies spread across multiple business lines.
They are involved in everything, right from the auto industry to commercial products to freight and much more.
The Bidvest Group is the employer of 130,877 employees.
Its estimated revenue was over USD15.1 billion in 2016.
The Bidcorp Group is an arm of Bidvest itself, which was unbundled in 2016 into a separate entity.
They also have their commercial bank by the name of the Bidvest Bank.
16. Datatec
Datatec is an ICT or Information and Communications Technology service and solutions group.
This group started in 1986 and has since grown into a company with 8000 employees and billions in revenue.
Datatec provides IT solutions and managed services.
Apart from these, it also provides financial services, media, and technology consulting as well as telecommunication services.
They have operations spread across 50 nations on 6 continents.
In addition to all this, Datatec has also expanded into the cloud and mobile technology fields.
It has its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
17. Engen Petroleum
When talking about the richest company in Africa, you cannot leave out an oil major.
This is where Engen Petroleum comes in.
This company has been around since 1881, with its headquarters in Cape Town.
Engen Petroleum focuses on refined petrol products.
It has interests in crude oil refining, marketing petroleum products and services through retail stores.
It was a part of Mobil Oil in 1990.
After that, it changed its name to Engen Petroleum.
Engen has a presence in 17 nations and also exports to 30 other nations.
Most of its customer and export base lies in the Indian Ocean Islands and Africa.
It has 1,450 service stations and a refinery in Durban that produces 120,000 barrels per day.
18. Naspers
Naspers is one of the premier internet groups in South Africa.
It has interests in internet communication, e-commerce, gaming as well as entertainment.
Naspers came into formation in 1915.
From thereon, it has grown into an organization that recorded revenues of USD 19 billion in 201.
It is also the largest shareholder of Tencent.
This Tencent is also the major driver of Naspers stock price that has been soaring.
Naspers also has investments across other regions.
The most significant of these investments is its USD 1 billion investment to Swiggy, a food-tech giant based in India.
19. Pick n Pay Stores Group
The 2nd largest retail store group in South Africa, Pick n pay runs stores in 1600 locations across 7 nations in South Africa.
The store has been considering expansions into many other nations in Africa too.
They are currently planning to expand into Ghana and Nigeria.
It was started in 1967.
Since then, Pick n Pay has grown into a retail chain that has revenues of R 83.5 billion.
It has several different store types, including Hypermarkets, Supermarkets, Liquor Stores, Pharmacies and boxer formats, among others.
20. Woolworths Holdings
Woolworths Holdings Limited is a retail chain in South Africa spread across different segments.
This chain makes it to this list of one of the richest companies in Africa with its revenue of R70.5 billion.
Apart from that, it has a 46,000-employee count and a line of stores in several segments.
Woolworths Holdings has interests in clothing, accessories, footwear, home goods, and beauty products.
In addition to that, they also provide Financial Services.
It is worth noting here that while it has stores outside South Africa in Australia and New Zealand, it has no association with the Australian supermarket chain Woolworths.
21. Vodacom Group
Vodacom Group is a telecom company that has its roots in South Africa and serves the majority customer base.
At first, it was a 50-50 partnership between Vodafone and Telkom.
The latter is a South Africa based telecom giant.
However, since 2008, Vodafone has become the majority owner of Vodacom.
They reported a revenue of USD 6.48 billion in 2018.
Vodacom is the major telecom provider in South Africa.
It has a 58% market share and a customer base of 103 million.
Its advertising campaigns and coverage that extends to Mount Kilimanjaro have added to its popularity.
22. Transnet
Transnet SOC Limited is a state-owned company in the field of pipelines, ports, and rail.
The South African government’s DPE or Department of Public Enterprises owns the majority of this company.
The is the owner and managers of the major ports of South Africa.
In addition to that, most of the nations’ fuel pipelines and rail services are also run by Transnet.
The task of providing marine infrastructure and port infra is with the Transnet National Port Authority.
Transnet Pipelines takes care of the pipeline assets, and Transnet Freight Rail is the freight rail division.
It is worth noting here that the Transnet Freight Rail is Transnet’s largest division, and also the biggest outside the United States.
Last is Transnet Engineering that deals in the service and maintenance of the rail equipment and engines.
23. Suez Canal Authority
The Suez Canal Authority is tasked with the working and maintenance of the Suez Canal.
It was started in 1956 and replaced the Suez Canal Company.
Apart from these functions, it also takes care of the traffic and security.
Any other matters that relate to or affect the Suez Canal also come under it.
By the end of the 2016 financial year, the Suez Canal Authority had a USD 5 billion turnover.
It also has emergency hospitals at both ends of the Suez Canal.
It is a state-owned company.
24. Sappi
SAPPI is a South Africa based pulp and paper company.
Its name is an acronym for the South African Pulp and Paper Industry.
While the company is primarily based in South Africa, it has operations around the globe.
SAPPI was started in the year 1936.
Since then, it has grown into an employer of over 12,800 people with just paper and pulp as its chief products.
Their revenue in 2017 was USD 5,296 million.
It is also the biggest producer of dissolving pulp, globally.
Dissolving pulp finds many uses, including textiles and ethers.
25. Sanlam
What started as an insurance company in 1918 has grown to be a full financial service provider.
This is the story of Sanlam, which started 102 years ago dealing with just life insurance.
From thereon, it grew to reach its current annual revenue of USD 6.3 billion in 2015.
All of this incorporates several business lines and products.
Some of these services that it is in include financial planning, wills, trusts, wealth and investment management, and insurance.
All these services are provided in markets in Africa and beyond, including Europe and Asia.
These locations together account for a client base of over 10 million people.
26. Barloworld
In 1902, Ernest Barlow started Barloworld in Durban.
At that time, it was a seller of wool products and later on expanded into engineering goods.
The company has grown from thereon to become a major brand management giant.
It now provides services in areas like car rentals, motor vehicle dealerships, logistics, and industrial equipment.
Barloworld has close to 20000 employees.
Also, it is worth noting that they reported a turnover of over R62 billion in 2017.
It was also the major sponsor of a cycling team named after it.
27. Anglo American Platinum Corporation
When a company is the largest producer of natural platinum globally, it could easily be the richest company in Africa.
Anglo American Platinum Corporation comes close to taking that title.
It was incorporated in the year 1946.
Almost 38% of the global platinum supply is from this company.
It is a South-Africa based conglomerate, with the majority of the operations in Johannesburg.
This Johannesburg complex is known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex.
As of 2018, the company recorded a turnover of R74.58 billion with an employee strength of almost 25,000.
28. Anglo Gold Ashanti
As one may guess from the name, Anglo Gold Ashanti is a world-renowned gold mining company.
It was globally the 3rd largest gold producer.
This company was formed through the merger of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation with AngloGold in 2014.
In 16 years, it has reached a revenue of over USD 5 billion.
Apart from gold, it is also a major producer of Uranium oxide and silver.
While it is based in South Africa, it is also traded on the stock exchanges of London, New York, Johannesburg as well as Brussels and Paris.
29. Office Cherifien des Phosphates (The OCP Group)
The OCP Group started in the field of phosphate extraction and shipments in 1921.
From thereon, it has grown into a conglomerate with a variety of interests.
The Moroccan Government majorly owns it.
The OCP Group is in the field of mining & processing, engineering & consulting and ecosystem development.
It is also a major trading firm that operates in Africa and abroad.
It is the employer for around 20,000 people.
Apart from this, it is worth noting that they posted annual revenue of US D5.8 billion in 2018.
30. Orascom Construction Industries
Orascom Construction PLC is an EPC or Engineering Procurement & Construction contracting firm.
It is based out of Cairo in Egypt.
This company was started in 1950 in Egypt, and now has a presence in 25 countries.
When OC first started, it was the owner of several cement plants in Africa and abroad.
Also, it was the first multinational company in Egypt and is the core of the Orascom Group.
With a revenue of USD 4 billion in 2016, its presence as one of the richest companies in Africa is no surprise.
31. SABMiller South Africa
SABMiller South Africa is a beverage and brewing company with its headquarters now in England.
Until its acquisition in 2016, this was one of the top 5 brewing companies in the world.
In terms of earnings, SABMiller was the 2nd largest brewer in the world.
They also were Coca Cola’s major bottlers.
Brands under SABMiller were the likes of Millers and Fosters. In October 2016, it was acquired by AB InBev.
It started in 1895 as South African Breweries and grew on to become one of the biggest brewery names in the world.
32. Old Mutual Life Assurance
Old Mutual Life Assurance Company is a major banking and insurance group in Africa.
This is a 174- year company that began in 1845 in Cape Town.
John Fairbairn first started this company as a mutual insurance firm.
Since then, it has grown to become a firm with a 12 million customer base.
It also had a turnover of more than R110 billion in 2018.
This, along with its 2800+ employee strength, makes it one of the richest companies in Africa.
33. MTN Nigeria
Earlier known as M-Cell, MTN is a multinational telecom company.
It is based out of South Africa and provides GSM-related internet to its customers.
In 2016, MTN reported a subscriber base of 232 million.
This number puts it the 8th largest operator of mobile networks globally.
It is also the largest one in Africa.
MTN, Nigeria also has a presence in over 20 nations.
However, 1/3rd of its earnings are from Nigeria.
It is also where it has a market share of 35%.
MTN Nigeria employed above 17,000 people and reported a revenue of USD 3.3 billion in 2015.
34. Mediclinic International PLC
Mediclinic International PLC is a hospital management firm.
It has operations across South Africa, UAE as well as Switzerland.
Not only is it listed on South Africa’s securities exchange, but it is also a part of the London Stock Exchange and its FTSE 250 Index.
Mediclinic International has more than 32,000 people working for it worldwide.
Last year (2019), they reported a revenue of approximately USD 3.6 billion.
Mediclinic International employs over 3,000 people in South Africa.
35. Sonelgaz
Sonelgaz is a state-owned utility firm in Algeria.
It is also called the National Society for Electricity and Gas.
This is the entity responsible for distributing natural gas and electricity in Algeria.
Sonelgaz was started in 1969. This company replaced the previous company EGA.
Further, it was also given a monopoly on natural gas in the country.
However, this was taken away in 2002 when it was changed to a private firm.
Sonelgaz produces 29 billion kWh in a year and sells 4.6 billion cubic meters of gas.
Apart from this, it is impressive to note that it has an employee strength of 20,000.
36. Societeationaled’ Investissement
Simply known as the National Investment Company, SNI is a private holding company based in Morocco.
The royal family majorly owns it.
This was started in 1966, around 54 years ago.
IT has revenues of USD 3.7 billion.
It has interests in various fields, including renewable energy, banking, and food industry.
What makes it the richest company in Africa is that it has stakes in the largest private companies in Africa.
Some of these include Managem (mining), AttijariWafa (bank) and Marjane the supermarket chain. SNI went public in 1994.
37. ONEE
With a turnover of USD 3.4 billion, ONEE or the Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable is Morocco’s chief provider of water and electricity.
It is a public utility provider and one of the richest companies in Africa.
In 2018, ONEE reported an installed capacity that was above 8,700 MW.
It also has a customer base that exceeds 5.6 million people across Morocco.
ONEE is among the largest utility companies in Africa.
It is aimed towards improving the living standards in the country.
38. Naftal
Naftal is a name commonly seen across Algeria.
It is the chief petroleum company in the country.
It was started in 1981 by government order.
Since then, Naftal has grown to become a public company with an income of 15.65 billion Algerian dollars.
In 1998, it was further modified to become a Sonatrach subsidiary.
Naftal employs more than 30,000 people and runs 10,00 gas stations.
Apart from petroleum, Naftal also deals in Butane, Diesel and Sirghaz oils.
39. MTN South Africa
MTN Group South Africa was earlier known as M-Cell.
It is a public telecom company that started in 1994.
MTN Group has its headquarters in Johannesburg.
It runs with an employee strength of 17,500.
Their chief services are GSM and internet services, with Visafone being a major subsidiary.
It also has operations outside Africa in several Asian and European nations.
As of 2015, MTN South Africa had revenue above USD 3 billion.
In addition to this, it also had assets of USD 13.7 billion.
This is also the 8th biggest mobile network provider, globally.
Apart from this, they are also Africa’s largest telecom company.
40. Dangote Group
The Dangote Group is West Africa’s largest multi-industry company.
Its revenue is well above USD 4.1 billion (as of 2017).
Also, it has an employee strength of 30,000 people.
It is also among the largest richest companies in entire Africa.
The Dangote Group has interests in Sugar, Cement, Flour, Packaging, Oil &Gas, and Salt, among other things.
It runs over 18 different subsidiaries across Africa.
With these subsidiaries, its presence is across 10 African countries.
Apart from these interests, it is also developing an underwater offshore pipeline with the CNOOC Group.
Their headquarters are located in Lagos.
41. Global Telecom Holding
With over 15 million customers in just Algeria, Global Telecom Holding or GTH is a telecom giant.
The company was incorporated in the year 1991.
It provides wireline as well as remote media communication in the South African region.
Telkom is partly private. Around 39% of its own with the state.
In the year 2018, Telkom had an R 41.7 billion turnover.
In the same year, it also had over 18,290 employees.
Telkom is also a major provider of ADSL retail and ISP services for corporates.
It also has a presence in 38 other African nations.
42. Gold Fields
Located in the ‘City of Gold’ Johannesburg, Gold Fields Limited is a gold mining firm and one of the richest companies in Africa.
In addition to this South African mine, they also have 2 other mines in Ghana and 1 in Peru.
Outside Africa, Gold Fields owns 4 mines in Australia as well.
It is one of the largest gold mining companies in the world.
Gold Fields had a revenue of USD 2.5 billion in 2018.
It is the world’s 8th largest gold producer.
The merger of Gencor Limited and Gold Fields of South America Ltd led to its birth.
43. Kumba Iron Ore
Kumba Iron Ore is based in South Africa.
It ranks as the 4th largest producer of iron ore globally.
It is also the largest in Africa.
This mining company began in 2005.
Currently, Kumba Iron Ore is located in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.
Globally this is also the largest open-pit mines.
It employs an opencast digging technique in this mine.
The Anglo America Corporation mutually holds Kumba Iron Ore with 3 more partners.
In 2018, it had an R 45.73 billion turnover.
In the same year, it also reported an employee count of 10,730.
44. Liberty Group
Liberty Global PLC or, simply the Liberty Group came into existence in 2013.
This is a multi-national telecom firm.
Apart from telecom, it also provides entertainment services.
It’s also among the largest broadband providers outside the United States.
It is spread across Europe too.
The company also has a stake in the VodafoneZiggo Group.
This group is a provider of cable services in the Netherlands along with other content businesses.
Apart from its global presence, its turnover also makes the Liberty group among the richest company in Africa.
In 2018, they had a turnover figure of USD 11.9 billion.
Along with this, it has an employee strength of 2,600.
45. Telkom
In their own words, Telkom is Africa’s biggest integrated communication provider. 39% of the stake is owned by the state, and the rest is privately owned.
They provide both wireless and wired communication across the continent.
It covers over 38 African nations.
Telkom has over 500,000 customers for its broadband services alone.
In addition to that, they also provide service to 250 corporates.
In 2018, Telkom had USD 3.08 billion in revenues.
It also reported USD 2.73 billion worth of assets.
Apart from this, Telkom also holds a 64.9% stake in the Trudton Yellow Pages.
Over 18,200 employees work for Telkom.
46. Transnet Freight Rail
Transnet Freight Rail is a logistics company in South Africa.
This is controlled by Transnet and is state-owned.
They are the largest cargo hauler in Africa.
It began in 1910.
Currently, it is a 25,000-people organization.
It was earlier called as Spoornet.
The company is made up of different businesses.
These include Coal Line, Luxrail, GFB Commercial, and the Ore Export Line.
Their rail network has links to almost all nations that neighbour South Africa.
Its HQ is in Parktown in Johannesburg at the Inyanda House.
47. Impala Platinum Holdings
Impala Platinum Holdings in South Africa is the owner of many companies that are in the production of platinum and other metals of its group.
It is also known as Implats.
The Impala Mine in north-west Africa is one of its largest.
Implats started in 1966.
It has since grown interests from Platinum to cobalt, copper as well as nickel.
The company is located in Johannesburg.
They have an employee count of 40,000.
As of 2018, Implats had revenue of R35.9 billion.
Apart from this, Implats also bought the North American Palladium to form Impala Canada in 2019.
48. Aspen Pharmcare
Aspen Pharmcare is the largest African drug company.
The company began in 1850, and it went public in 1997.
They are also the holding company for many pharma companies.
The company has over 10,600 employees.
Its headquarters are in Durban.
Aspen had a revenue of over R 42 billion in 2018.
Aspen is one of the major producers of ARV, a drug for managing HIV.
In this area, it has also made efforts to make the treatment of HIV/AIDS more affordable.
49. Network Healthcare Holdings
Netcare or Network Healthcare Holdings is one of the major health care firms in South Africa.
It is the biggest private healthcare provider in Africa.
Also, Netcare is the largest provider in the United Kingdom too.
In 2006, Netcare had purchased a major stake in the General Healthcare Group of the UK.
Since then, it has been giving services to the NHS through its subsidiary.
Netcare employs close to 20,000 people.
Its revenue was R 21.5 million in 2019.
Apart from these, Netcare is also supporting 35 health-tech startups in Africa.
For this, it has a partnership with the Founders Factory Area.
Each of these startups is getting a $38,000 funding and more in the form of support services.
In return for this, both the partners are picking up a 5-10% stake in the startups.
50. Aveng
Aveng is among the largest construction and resource companies in South Africa.
This company was earlier known as Anglovaal Engineering.
It has been around for 125 years, having formed in 1880.
Aveng has expertise in mining, steel manufacturing, public infra, and even water treatments.
It has a market base in Africa as well as Australia.
This company is an employer for over 14,000 people.
Its annual turnover was around R30 billion in 2019.
51. Ethiopian Airlines
This is the national airline of Ethiopia.
The country’s government owns 100% of Ethiopian Airlines.
This airline was founded in 1945.
However, its operations did not begin until April 8, 1946.
The airline has its head office at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
This airline has 44 cargo and 125 passenger destinations.
This is the largest airline in Africa, and not just by terms of passenger size alone.
It also serves the maximum destinations, has the largest fleet and revenue.
52. Discovery Health
The Discovery Health Group has interests in savings, asset management, and insurance through its different companies.
It has its head office in Sandton in South Africa.
The company offers both short- and long-term insurance.
In 2016, its annual turnover stood at USD 2.4 billion.
Discovery Health’s services are not just in Africa.
It operates in Singapore, the UK, Australia, the USA, and even China.
They offer several schemes in medical insurance to suit various consumer needs.
53. ArcelorMittal South Africa
ArcelorMittal S.A is among the leading steel manufacturing firms in the world.
This company was formed after Arcelor was merged with Mittal Steel, an Indian steel company.
This merger happened in 2006.
ArcelorMittal had its command in South Africa and ranks among the largest mining and steel firms.
Its production of unrefined steel is around 113 million tons in a year.
When it was established in 1928, the firm was known as Iscor Ltd.
The firm now has its presence across 18 countries globally.
Its stocks are traded in several stock exchanges in the world.
A 2016 estimate puts its turnover at $2.4 billion.
54. Masscash
Masscash is a wholesaler of liquor, personal care items, and food in South Africa.
Massmart owns this company, now a part of Walmart International.
Walmart has a majority stake in Massmart.
It is the largest distributor and wholesaler of these items across Africa.
Masscash has bee providing competitive prices across these areas due to its footprint of warehouses and stores.
More than 10,000 people work for Masscash.
Its customer base includes franchisees, dealers, government schemes and even hawkers.
55. Tiger Brands
Tiger Brands came into being in 1896 by Jacob Frankel and Joffee Marks.
This is now among the biggest packaged goods firms in the richest company in Africa.
It is one of the top 40 companies that form the JSE or the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
The company owns and operates over 41 different brands.
It recorded total revenue of R28.5 billion in 2018.
Their employee strength stood at 20,500 in the same year.
This company initially started as just a family business and grew to be the largest food company in the continent.
At this time when it was only formed in 1920, the company was called Tiger Oats Ltd.
56. Sibanye Stilwater
Sibanye Gold, or now known as Sibanye-Stilwater, is the largest individual gold producer in Africa.
It is also among the largest gold producers in the world.
It is also in the process to acquire Lonmin.
Lonmin is the mining arm of a British platinum manufacturing company.
With this Sibanye Stilwater is expected to boost its platinum and palladium production.
Sibanye Gold began in 2002.
Its mining operations are around South Africa only.
Their high-quality uranium and gold operations are across the Witwatersrand basin.
The corporate office of the Sibanye-Stilwater group is in Gauteng near the same operation center.
57. Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon
Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon is a building and civil engineering firm.
Their operations are both in and outside South Africa.
This construction group was found in 2001.
It has since grown to become among the largest building groups in Africa.
It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Almost 18,000 people work for the firm, with Michael Stanley Wylie serving as the chairman.
In 2017, a turnover of R35.03 billion was reported by Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon.
Several divisions make up the firm, including building, roads & earthworks and civil engineering.
58. MMI-Holdings
Momentum Metropolitan Holdings or MMI Holdings Ltd is a financial service provider.
MMI Holdings started in 2010.
This firm is in the domain of asset management and insurance.
The formation of MMI goes back to 2010.
In that year, Momentum Group and Metropolitan Holdings had a merger.
Both firms were providers of insurance and financial services in South Africa.
MMI’s head office is in Centurion.
Almost 18,000 people work for MMI Holdings.
In 2017, the annual turnover of this group stood at R31.9 billion.
It is a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
59. Cevital
Cevital is Algeria’s largest multi-industry firm.
The company has interests in services, agri-food, and retail.
Cevital was started 22 years ago in 1998.
It has since then grown into a company with an income of over USD 382 million.
The Cevital group is privately owned.
The main businesses of this group include auto sales, retail stores, food processing and manufacturing of glass.
Its presence in the food processing industry is the largest.
To go by numbers, over 670,000 tons of soya and sunflower oil a year is produced by Cevital’s plants.
Its sugar refineries have a total capacity of 2,000,000 tons annually.
All these numbers, with its 18,000 plus employee strength, making it one of the richest companies in Africa.
60. GroupeMaroc Telecom
The incorporation of GropeMaroc Telecom took place in 1998.
This is the main telecom firm in morocco.
It was also the firm responsible for providing the country with internet access.
Earlier the government of Morocco had a 35% stake in GroupeMaroc Telecom.
Vivendi later purchased this share in 2001.
Vivendi is a French media firm.
The same shares were then sold to Etisalat for a value of USD5 billion.
The company trades on Eoruxnet Paris as well as the Casablanca Stock Exchange.
GropeMaroc Telecom has over 1,000 people working for it.
In 2018, its turnover was reported at around 36 billion Moroccan Dinars.
61. La Société tunisienne des industries de raffinage
Companies trading in crude oil are among the richest company in Africa, and La Société tunisienne des industries de raffinage are no exception.
This is a public enterprise in Tunisia.
The main task of this organization is importing and refining crude oil.
The National Refinery of Tunisia is under La Société tunisienne des industries de raffinage.
This is located 60 kilometres from Tunis.
Around 2/3rds of its area is for petroleum storage, which is done in 60 tanks.
The total capacity of these tanks stands around 1 million cubic meters.
Its formation in 1961 was the result of an agreement between ENI, an Italy-based oil group, and the Tunisian State government.
The group was fully nationalized 14 years later in 1975.
Its turnover in 2018 stood at USD 2.1 billion.
62. Safaricom
Kenya’s leading telecom provider is Safaricom.
Their head office is known as the Safaricom House, which is present in Nairobi in Kenya.
Safaricom is East & Central Africa’s most profitable firm.
The main products of Safaricom are spread across mobile communication, e-commerce and fibre optic services.
Apart from these, it also deals in consumer electronics, data and music streaming.
Safaricom has also been expanding in the sphere of cloud computing.
Over 5,500 people work for Safaricom.
Its customer base is above 25.7 million people.
The revenue of Safaricom in 2018 was at KES242.14 billion.
63. JD Group
The JD Group is South Africa’s leading furniture retailing firm.
Apart from furniture they also deal in home entertainment products and appliances.
JD Group’s formation took place in 1983.
The group is also a major provider of insurance services, contract centers, and new & used auto parts.
It is also expanding into short- & long-term rentals of cars.
A 2014 estimate put the number of retail stores under the JD group at 1,223.
It had a turnover of RMB134.8 billion in 2018.
Its headquarters is currently in Braamfontein, South Africa.
64. Remgro Limited
Remgro Limited is a South African investment holding firm.
The chief interests of Remgro are financial services, banking, medical services, and packaging.
It also has interests in mining, food & beverage and petroleum sectors.
It was ranked as the 9th largest public entity in Africa by Forbes.
The roots of Remgro Limited can be traced to the Voorbrand Tobacco Company that was formed in 1940.
Its annual turnover was well over R47.39 billion in 2018.
However, the most surprising aspect of one of the richest companies in Africa is its employee strength.
With all these revenues and holdings, Remgro Limited has an employee strength of just around 173.
65. The Arab Contractors
The Arab Contractors or the Al Mokawloon Al Arab is a massive construction and contracting firm.
It is based in Egypt.
Osman Ahmed Osman established this firm in 1955.
It is a fully government-owned enterprise that serves customers globally.
The Arab Contractors works in bridge construction and road building, among other things.
Their employee strength is above 77,000 people.
Its head office is in Cairo in Egypt.
Some of its most famous projects include the Gaza Strip Airport, the Aswan High Dam and the Luxor International Airport among others.
66. Dangote Cement
Dangote Cement ranks as one of the largest cement producers.
It has operations spread across 10 nations in Africa, including Nigeria, Congo, Ghana, etc.
The company began in 1992 with its head office in Lagos.
They manufacture, prepare, import and distribute cement.
Apart from cement, it also produces and distributes related products as well as different variants of cement.
However, over 80% of the firm’s business is cement production.
The group has an employee strength of over 4,400 people.
Dangote Cement’s revenue is over NGN 386 billion.
It also forms around 20% of the market cap of Nigeria’s Stock Exchange.
67. Edcon Limited
In the retail business, Edcon Limited is easily one of the richest companies in Africa.
It was earlier known as Edgars’ Consolidated Stores.
The firm started as a family clothing store.
In this segment, it grew to become a name with more than 200 branches to its credit Edcon Limited details in clothing, accessories, footwear and sporting equipment through its retail chain.
It employs over 44,000 people in this retail chain.
In addition to this, Edcon is also a leading provider of financial services in Africa.
The product base includes personal and family insurance, vehicle cover as well as credit.
68. Foschini Group
The Foschini Group is a leading retail chain in South Africa.
It runs a total of 3,328 stores in 34 countries.
The Foschini Group retail stores have a strong presence outside Africa as well, including in the United Kingdom and Australia.
The group that started in 1925 has grown to become a retail giant globally.
It also has several notable acquisitions to its name, such as the Retail Apparel Group in Australia.
Apart from this, the Foschini Group also bought Phase Eight, a major chain in the United Kingdom.
It is also a major representative of brands such as L’Oreal, Clinique and Revlon, among others.
Their turnover in 2018 was an estimated R32.06 billion.
69. Blue Label Telecoms
Brett and Mark Levy came together to start the Blue Label Telecom group in 2001.
This company works in the distribution of prepaid electronic value tokens and transaction servicing.
The group also owns a 45% stake in Cell C, which is among the top 4 telecom firms in South Africa.
Blue Label Telecom also acquired Airvantage in 2018.
This acquisition was valued at around ZAR151 million.
The main competitors of this firm include TelkomSa, Internet Solutions, as well as Business Connection.
Its 2018 revenue estimate was at R25.55 billion.
The head office of Blue Label Telecoms is in Johannesburg.
70. Masswarehouse
Masswarehouse is one of the major divisions of Massmart.
This division is behind the operations of Makro and the Fruitspot.
Makro is a leading retailer of appliances, gaming products, books, and electronics.
Makro deals with both B2C and B2B models.
The Fruitspot, on the other hand, is only a B2B seller of vegetables and fruits.
It is one of the largest wholesalers and distributors of fresh produce in Africa.
The Fruitspot recently merged with Freshdeal.
Its operations continue but with the new brand-name.
Masswarehouse’s latest revenue estimates put the figure at over USD 1.9 billion.
71. Murray and Roberts Holdings
Next in the race to become the richest company in Africa is Murray and Roberts Holdings Ltd.
This is a mining and engineering contractor.
They are among the largest engineering companies in South Africa.
The prime focus of this firm is mining, construction, oil & gas as well as energy.
However, its presence is not in Africa alone.
The group has significant holdings in Australia Middle East, South East Asia, and North & South America.
Murray & Roberts Holdings employ over 20,000 people as per a 2017 estimate.
In the same year, its revenues stood at R 21.40 billion, with assets worth R 14.20 billion.
72. Super Group
Super Group is among Africa’s leading supply chain and logistics providers.
The company’s origin goes back to 1986.
Super Group provides end-to-end supply chain services, management of fleet and dealerships to a range of customers.
It has a customer base spread across Europe and Africa.
In addition to that, it also has dealerships in the United Kingdom.
The firm is counted as among the most ‘Empowered Companies’ present on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
The company’s annual turnover estimate was R 37.14 billion in 2018.
73. Santam
Santam is a financial service provider based in CapeTown.
The firm started in 1918 and has since grown to become a leading provider of short-term insurance.
This means it providers insurance plans for durations that could be anywhere between 30 to 90 days.
This period, however, can vary.
It is the largest provider of such insurance is not just South Africa, but also Tanzania and other East African nations.
Santam reported revenue of R 25,909 billion in 2016.
This figure alone makes it the richest company in Africa that deals in short-term insurance.
A 2016 count puts its employee strength at 5,749.
74. Clicks Group
The richest company in Africa in the healthcare sector is Clicks Group.
This retail-led healthcare firm runs more than 800 stores in South Africa.
Some of these retail partnerships include GNC, Clicks, Claire’s and The Body Shop, among others.
It is also the owner of the biggest pharmacy chains.
This is due to its network of 510 pharmacies across Africa.
Over 15,070 people work for this healthcare giant.
It has since grown from its inception in 1996 to become a firm with revenue estimates of R29.24 billion.
Their headquarters are located in Cape Town, South Africa.
75. RCL Foods
In the race to become the richest company in Africa in the consumer goods sector is RCL Foods.
This firm is one of South Africa’s largest milling and customer goods brand.
RCL Foods’ head office is in Durban, South Africa.
77.7% of RCL foods are under Remgro, which is one of the firms that we already talked about.
They had a revenue estimate of R 12.9 billion recently.
This, along with its employee strength of 20,479, makes it the leading firm in the region.
RCL also owns a 64.2% stake in Foodcorp, a South African packaged food firm.
This stake had a price of R1.037 billion.
It further increased the ownership to 88.1% by purchasing another 23.9% at R3939 million in 2013.
76. Flour Mills of Nigeria
FMN or the Flour Mills of Nigeria is an agribusiness firm from Nigeria.
George S Coumantraos started FMN in 1960.
Since then, FMN has grown to become an employer of more than 12,000 people.
It began as a private limited firm and went public in 1978 with its listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
It has several integrated business models.
The Golden Penny Flour is among the chief brands owned by the FMN.
Its first wheat mill plant was set up in Nigeria in 1962.
It owns over 13 brands across food, consumer goods, support, and logistics.
77. Soc. Tunisienne de l’electricite et du Gaz
The Soc. Tunisienne de l’electricite et du Gazor or STEG is Tunisia-based electricity, utility, and natural gas firm.
STEG’s origins go back to 1962.
It is in the race to become the richest company in Africa in the energy and utility sector.
As per the sales volumes, STEG is Tunisia’s largest firm.
The sales of STEG crossed USD1.6 billion in 2018.
These numbers are kept up by the fact that it is the sole producer and distributor of electricity and natural gas in Tunisia.
Further, the Tunisian government is the only shareholder of the firm.
It is an employer to over 12,500 people.
78. Distell Group
The Distell Group is among South Africa’s most famous drink and food companies.
This firm is known for brewing spirits, ciders and wines among other beverages.
The brand has more recognition as just Distell.
It is a public limited firm with operations outside Africa as well.
The Distell Group was started in 2000.
In just 20 years, it grew to a brand with a turnover of R25.21 billion.
The global employment count of Distell stands at 5,300 around the world.
Remegro is the majority owner of the Distell group as well.
It has a majority stake of 53% in the Distell Group.
Remegro Limited also holds an indirect control over Distell through Capevin Holdings.
79. Middle East Oil Refinery
MIDOR or the Middle East Oil Refinery provides a range of petroleum products and related services.
This firm started in 1994.
It focuses on crude oil refinement for producing petroleum products.
Its products are sold both in domestic and international markets.
MIDOR has a USD14 billion investment into it.
The design capacity allows MIDOR to produce over 100,000 barrels a day.
The MIDOR refinery mixes, blends and provides storage for crude oil as well as fully-formed petrol products in its tanks.
It is supported by several sister companies such as MIDOR Electricity and MIDWATER.
They provide electricity and water for running MIDOR refineries.
80. Exxaro Resources
EXXARO Resources is a heavy mineral and coal-mining firm in South Africa.
This was earlier a part of Kumba Resources.
This separation and merger with Namakwa Sands & Eyesizwe Coal led to the birth of Exxaro in 2006.
It has an employee count of over 6,648 with revenue estimates of R 20.8 billion as of 2016.
Some of the main products of Exxaro include Coal, titanium, zircon and iron ore, among others.
What makes Exxaro one of the richest companies in Africa is its innovation.
They are working towards mines with zero emissions and wastes.
These mines would also have a wash-to-zero ad that would practice sustainable engineering.
81. Pioneer Foods Groups
Pioneer Foods is among the leading FMCG brands in South Africa.
This packaged goods manufacturer began in 1996, setting up the operations base in South Africa.
It has since then grown to expand from South Africa to even Nigeria as well as the United Kingdom.
Their primary business is the production, distribution, and sales of many food and beverage products.
Some of the brand names under this group include Sasko, Veet Bix and Ceres.
Pioneer saw a sales number of R20.15 billion in 2018.
It is an employer to over 8,600 people.
Pioneer Group’s head office is in Tygervally, South Africa.
This is a public firm traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
82. Massdisscounters
Massdiscounters is a retail brand under the Massmart Holdings Group.
The group also had its headquarters with Massmart in Sandton, South Africa.
Massdiscounters has 2 retail brands under it.
These are DionWired and Game.
Game is a discount-retail of groceries, fresh food, liquor, and general merchandise.
DiounWired is a store selling technological solutions, primarily hi-tech and multimedia.
Both brands have a presence in 19 cities across the sub-Saharan Africa region.
Masssdiscounters recorded sales of USD 1.5 billionin2017.
Over 45,000 people work for the Massdiscounters retail chain.
83. Oando PLC
Oando PLC is one of the largest petroleum companies in South Africa.
What makes it one of the richest companies in Africa is that it works in all sectors of the petroleum industry.
In its own words, Oando is a provider of integrated energy solutions.
It has 2 companies under it.
These are Oando Trading and Oando Energy Resources.
It is the first company in Africa that had its listing across the border on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
It is only the secondary listing, Oando’s primary listing is on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
The firm had a turnover of close to NGN 619 billion in 2018.
Almost 1,000 people work for Oando PLC.
Its services are focused in the West African region.
84. Consider
Consider Constructions is among Algeria’s largest construction firms.
This company works majorly in the public sector.
Its main focus areas include buildings, transport infra, and other major structures.
The firm was started in 1979.
It was the result of a venture between Danish, Christian & Nielsen along with the National Steel Company Algeria.
This construction major had a USD 1.5 billion revenue estimate in 2018.
It is the employer of over 40,000 people.
Their head office is in Hydra in Algeria.
85. Sonatel
Sonatel or the Société Nationale des Télécommunication is the main telecom firm of Senegal.
The company is the main provider of fixed-line and mobile communication services in the country.
Apart from this, it also provides television, internet, and corporate telecom solutions.
Sonatel has been actively working in the set up of fibre optics throughout Africa.
It has under it around 2,200 km of Senegal’s fibre cables.
Sonatel’s origin can be traced back to 1985.
It has since grown into a company with annual sales touching 905,000 billion CFA.
Its network range spreads across Egypt, Guinea, Luxembourg, and Moldova, among other nations.
86. Kansanshi Mining
Kansanhi Mining not only owns the oldest mines in Africa, but this could easily make it the richest company in Africa in mining.
It has copper smelting operations that go as far as the 4th century.
In Zambia, Kansanhi Mining ranks as the largest producer of copper.
20% of this firm is owned by the ZCCM-IH.
The rest is with First Quantum Minerals Limited.
The mine is at the Old Congo Road, which is 10 kilometres from Solwezi Town.
The annual sales of Kansanshi Mining are close to USD 1.5 billion as of 2018.
Apart from copper, it is also a producer of Gold.
87. Mr. Price Group
Mr. Price Group, popularly known as MRP, is a premier retail firm from South Africa.
What makes this firm so famous across the country is its focus on providing customers with value.
MRP’s origin goes back to 1985.
It also offers online services to its global customers.
MRP’s stores are present throughout Africa.
Its presence is in over 14 nations across the continent.
In 2018, the MRP group posted sales of over R 21 billion.
The group has its head office in Durban in South Africa.
It is a public company with listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
88. Allied Electronics Corporation
Allied Electronics Corporation is a provider of electrical equipment based in South Africa.
This firm began in 1947, and it has a presence beyond Africa as well.
This firm is present in Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
It is owned by the Allied Technologies Limited and Bytes Technology Limited.
Its major investment has a focus on IT and telecom.
Over 8,500 people work for this firm in the world.
Recently it has also begun providing Enterprise Security and Infrastructure solutions across the world.
89. Ethio Telecom
Ethio Telecois Ethiopia’s major telecom company.
It started in 2010 with the head office in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
It has since grown to become a firm that employs over 22,200 people.
Ethio Telecom’s offerings include fixed-line, broadband, and mobile services.
The firm touched annual sales of USD 1.4 billion.
Its 100% ownership is with the government of Ethiopia.
The provision of both internet and telecommunication across the country is Ethio Telecom’s responsibility.
90. Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc or RAM is an air-transport firm in Morocco.
RAM has a 58-aircraft fleet.
Its destination network is across 94 countries and employs over 5,400 people.
What makes RAM one of the largest airlines in the area is its network and the sales volumes.
These sales volumes stood at USD 1.4 billion in 2018.
It also has RAM Express and RAM Cargo as its 2 subsidiaries.
The airline also has international flights to Africa, Europe, Asia, and America.
91. Nampak
Nampak is the largest packaging company in Africa.
This makes it the richest company in Africa in this segment.
The firm has more than 22 operating sites across South Africa.
It also has 17 other sites across the rest of Africa.
Over 67% of Nampak’s revenue comes from South Africa.
The firm’s main business is designing and manufacturing of product packaging.
Apart from this, it is also in the production of glass, metals, plastic and papas.
Nampak employs more than 6,400 people.
It is also providing services in the United Kingdom.
The annual sales of Nampak in 2018 were close to R17.3 billion.
92. El Sewedy Electronic
El Sewedy Electronics was a family business that began in 1938 by the El Sewedy family.
The firm has since grown into a business with yearly sales touching USD 1.6 billion.
The company’s product line includes cables, wires, energy measurement products, and telecom accessories.
Apart from this, it is also into engineering, contracting and industrial development.
The firm is listed on the Egyptian Stock Market.
It is now over 10,000 employees strong.
Ahmed Elsewedy is now its CEO.
93. AECI
AECI is a provider of explosives and detonators to the diamond and gold mines in South Africa.
This is the richest company in Africa in this segment.
It last reported a turnover of over USD 1.3 million.
Their employee strength is over 6,200 people.
This is a publicly-traded firm listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
AECI recently expanded to get into business lines such as F&B, water processing, and chemical raw material.
94. Harmony Gold Mining Company
The Harmony Gold Mining company is the 3rd largest gold mining firm in entire South Africa.
This company is primarily in Melrose Arch in South Africa.
It also has a presence in Papua New Guinea.
It started in 1950. Harmony Gold Mining has since grown into a firm that employs over 34,000 people.
It last had an annual turnover of R23.31 billion.
It is a public company with listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
95. Tongaat Hulett Group
The Tongaat Hulett Group found in 1892 is into agriculture and agro-processing.
This is the biggest starch and glucose maker in Africa.
This is what makes it the richest company in Africa in this sector.
It also has operations in cane growing, milling and refining of sugar.
All these operations are focused across South Africa.
It also has interests in the field of property management.
More than 31,000 employees work for the Tongaat Hulett Group.
This group was formed due to the merger of the Tongaat Sugar Company with Hulett’s Sugar.
Its annual turnover is in the range of R17.6 billion.
96. Ezz Steel
Ezz Steel Rebars is among the Middle East’s largest producer of steel.
The company has been around since 1982, with Ibrahim Salem as its founder.
Its steel production began in 1986.
At that time, it was known as ANSDK or the Alexandria National Iron & Steel Company.
Their HQ is in Cairo, Egypt.
It is publicly traded, listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange.
The firm posted an annual turnover of USD 1.3 billion last year.
They have 4 steel plants in Suez, Sadat City as well as Alexandria.
This firm is also the major supplier of steel to Europe, Canada, China, and the USA.
97. Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania
This leading company in Africa also plays a major role in Tanzania’s growth.
The METL group or the Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Group is across 11 nations in Africa.
It has many businesses, including financial services, transport, distribution, logistics, and real estate.
It is also a major player in the energy sector.
This firm first began in the 1970s in the domain of small trading.
MeTL makes up 3.5% of Tanzania’s GDP.
MeTL group employs almost 100,000 people.
What sets it apart from the other companies in the region in its fight to end poverty in Tanzania.
98. Truworths International
Truworths International is one of the largest retail clothing chains in South Africa.
The group began in 1944.
It has since grown into a retail giant having 728 stores in just South Africa.
Apart from that, it also runs 49 more stores outside South Africa.
Over 11,000 people work for these stores.
Right now, its revenues stand at R18 billion.
The brand retails in clothes, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and kids.
Recently it also began retailing in beauty products.
99. Life Healthcare Group
The Life Healthcare Group was found in the year 1983.
This group has its head office in Illovo in South Africa.
It is a major player in African healthcare.
They provide private hospitals in South Africa.
It is under the Brimstone Investment group.
This firm owns 100% of the Life Healthcare Group.
This group was known as Afrox Healthcare Limited before it went through the name change.
They also bought Alliance Medical in 2016 for USD 727 million.
This group was Life Healthcare’s biggest rival.
100. Omnia Holdings
Omnia Holdings, found in 1967, provides chemical products to various industries.
In the agriculture field, it provides fertilizers and helps in the development of farmers.
In the mining industry, this company is a supplier of explosives and other similar accessories.
Omnia Holdings also produces and distributes polymers and chemicals.
This product range includes lubricants, base oil as well as additives.
Omnia Holdings currently employs over 4,817 people.
It last reported a turnover of over R18.32 billion.
RELATED: TOP 20 RICHEST COMPANIES IN NIGERIA
While this may be a 100-member list, it is only a peek into the African economy and the business giants that make up one part of it.
South Africa’s GDP may cross $29 trillion by 2050.
As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, this number may just be exceeded!
And a large part of that credit would go to companies like the ones above.
