Forbes has launched its 2024 checklist of the highest 50 richest and most influential Black Individuals, often called the ForbesBLK 50. This 12 months, three Nigerians made the checklist: Adebayo Ogunlesi, Tope Awotona, and Wemimo Abbey. 

Not like earlier lists that targeted totally on wealth, this new checklist additionally celebrates innovation, optimistic influence on society, and management in numerous fields.

Adebayo Ogunlesi, with a web value of $1.7 billion, is recognised for his management in world infrastructure funding. He’s the chairman of International Infrastructure Companions (GIP), a significant firm that BlackRock acquired in 2024 for $12.5 billion.

Educated as a lawyer at Harvard and a former banker at Credit score Suisse, Ogunlesi has considerably influenced the worldwide enterprise scene, particularly in infrastructure investments.

Tope Awotona, who based Calendly, is valued at $1.4 billion. He modified the way in which folks schedule conferences together with his firm. Awotona was born in Lagos, moved to Atlanta, and began Calendly in 2013 after being pissed off by how exhausting it was to rearrange conferences. In 2021, Calendly was valued at $3 billion after elevating $350 million, and it now helps hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide.

Wemimo Abbey is the youngest Nigerian on the checklist at 32. He co-founded Esusu, a fintech firm that helps folks enhance their credit score scores by monitoring hire funds. 

Esusu, which works with over 20,000 properties, reached a $1 billion valuation in 2022 after securing $130 million in funding. Abbey, who grew up in Lagos and labored in mergers and acquisitions consulting, is obsessed with utilizing expertise to drive social change.