Dangote vs Schwarz

Dangote Industries (Dangote Group) and Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland).

The differences

Forbes puts Dieter Schwarz about $7.1B ahead of Aliko Dangote.Forbes figures from 17 Sep 2026 and 15 Oct 2026.
Aliko Dangote: founded it. Dieter Schwarz: inherited and grew it.
Dieter Schwarz is about 18 years older than Aliko Dangote.
Aliko Dangote is from Nigeria; Dieter Schwarz is from Germany.
Aliko Dangote has held a public or government advisory role; Dieter Schwarz has none on record.

Put someone else on either side

Dangote

Schwarz

Net worth, Forbes: $51.1BForbes, 15 Oct 2026; $58.2BForbes, 17 Sep 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $35.7BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026; $46.7BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 35Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026; No. 33Real-Time list, 6 Jun 2026
Billionaire since: 2008Forbes: he first appeared on its World's Billionaires list in 2008; Not stated

How it started: Founded itBegan trading rice, sugar and cement in 1978 with a loan from his uncle; Bloomberg says he formed the corporation that became Dangote Group in 1981; Inherited and grew itForbes: he inherited the company from his father Josef, opened the first Lidl store in 1973, became CEO in 1977 and built Schwarz Group into Europe's largest retailer
Main source: Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote CementBloomberg's largest items: the refinery ($18.6 billion), Dangote Cement ($11.7 billion) and a fertiliser plant ($3.02 billion); Control of Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland, PreZero)Bloomberg: 'The majority of Dieter Schwarz's fortune derives from his control of Schwarz Group'
Companies: Dangote Industries (Dangote Group), Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Dangote CementDangote Industries (Dangote Group): Founder, president and chief executive; Dangote Petroleum Refinery: Chairman; Dangote Cement: Chairman of the board; Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland)Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland): Honorary board member with veto power
Biggest stake: Dangote Petroleum Refinery92.3% owned; Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland)Stake not stated

Born: 10 Apr 1957Kano, Nigeria; 1939Heilbronn, Germany
Country: NigeriaLives in Lagos, Nigeria; GermanyLives in Neckarsulm, Germany
Education: Bachelor's degreeBusiness degree, Al-Azhar University, Cairo; Not statedJoined his father's company after finishing high school
Parents: Son of Mariya Sanusi Dantata and Mohammed Dangote; his father died when he was eight and he was raised by his maternal grandfather, a commodities and building-materials trader. His great-grandfather was one of West Africa's richest men; His father Josef Schwarz was a partner in the fruit wholesaler Lidl & Co.

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Aliko Dangote FoundationHis private charitable foundation, incorporated in 1994 as Dangote Foundation; Dieter Schwarz StiftungFunds education and research in Heilbronn (Bildungscampus, experimenta, IPAI); it also holds the Lidl and Kaufland shares
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: Runs the companyPresident and chief executive of Dangote Group; chairman of Dangote Cement and Dangote Petroleum Refinery; On the boardHonorary board member of Schwarz Group's operating company; no longer general partner since December 2021
Successor: No single successor named; Bloomberg says his succession plan includes his three daughters, Halima, Fatima and Mariya, all group executive directors at Dangote Industries; Gerd Chrzanowski, general partner of Schwarz Group since 1 December 2021A management handover, not an ownership heir; no Schwarz family member is in the group's named executive roster
Public office: Chairman, Nigeria End Malaria Council2022-; None found
Legal record: None found; None found