Folorunsho Alakija, a mother of four from Lagos, Nigeria, started her career as a secretary in a bank. In addition to her secretarial expertise, Alakija studied fashion. Ultimately, her fashion studies would help add to her professional portfolio and net worth.
Famfa Oil, a company Alakija started, received their oil prospecting license in 1993. The company would later change their name to OML 127 and make history as the company owned by the richest woman of color in the world. Alakija has an estimated net worth of $7.3 billion.
Oprah’s net worth: a mere $2.9 billion