Femi Otedola[b][/b]

$1.2 billion

Age: 42

Nigeria

This son of a politician used a majority stake in African Petroleum to get himself appointed as chief executive last year. Now he plans to merge it with his private firm, Zenon, to create the continent's largest oil company. The deal has stalled in the face of government concerns about a monopoly, with Otedola's assets temporarily frozen last winter. He claims fellow billionaire Aliko Dangote broke an agreement when he challenged Zenon's bid to buy ChevronTexaco's local subsidiary in September. In retaliation, he starting buying shares in Dangote's publicly traded sugar company.

Reference.
www.forbes.com