Twoofthemostnoteworthy new entrants areSouth Africa'sPatriceMotsepeandNigeria's AlikoDangote, the firstblack Africans to make their debut among the world's richest.
PatriceMotsepe is the Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), a publicly-traded mining conglomerate which has interests in platinum, nickel, chrome, iron, manganese, coal, copper and gold.
On a brilliantly sunny thursday in January, PatriceMotsepe, a vigorous 46-year-old with regal posture, is striding through a gleaming shopping mall on the Cape Town waterfront.