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| Description: Net Worth: $3.5 BILLION Industry: Diversified Country of Citizenship: Angola Age: 41 Number of Jobs Created: 3,378 Criticized by many as the beneficiary of nepotism, Isabel Dos Santos marches on as one of the world’s youngest black billionaires and the most powerful woman in Angola. Isabel is the first daughter of Angolan President, José Eduardo dos Santos, from his first marriage. Isabel Dos Santos made her first fortune at the age of 24 by securing lucrative government contracts. In 1997, she invested in Miami Beach, a trendy restaurant in Luanda, Angola. In 1999, when Angolan state-owned diamond mining company Endiama formed a diamond trading venture with Lev Leviev Group (owned by Uzbek-born Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev) and Omega Diamonds, Trans Africa Investment services (an investment company owned by Isabel and her Russian mother, Tatiana Kukanova) emerged as a major shareholder with a 24.5-percent stake. Since then, Dos Santos has acquired stakes in numerous companies. She owns 42 percent of Banco BIC Angola, currently the largest private bank in Angola with over 222 local branches, as well as a 25-percent stake in Unitel, the country’s leading mobile operator with over nine million subscribers. She is reputed to hold significant shares in two Portuguese banks, Banco Espírito Santo and Banco Português de Investimento, as well as a 15-percent stake in media conglomerate, Zon Multimedia. |
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