United States (US) based Forbes International magazine has ranked Nigerian industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, among the top 500 richest men in the world. The list's top 100 did not however feature any African.

Dangote with an estimated wealth of $2.1 billion (over N316 billion) came in as the sixth richest African in a top 500 that also had South African Nicky Oppenheimer & Family as the richest on the continent ranked 154th.

Dangote was also beaten to the top spot by four other Africans namely; two Egyptians-80 year-old Onsi Sawiris ($3.1bn) and 55 year-old Naguib Sawiris ($2.5) on 307th and 374th respectively, and another two South Africans, Patrice Motsepe ($2.3bn), Johann Rupert & Family ($2.3) who were jointly tied at 421st position.

However, the 52 year-old Nigerian business magnate did come in as the second youngest on the billionaires' list on the continent considering that only South Africa's Motsepe at 48 years was the youngest top-ranked billionaire with 80 year-old Onsi Sawiris as the oldest of the lot.

In addition, Dangote in emerging the richest man in West Africa, also edged out top United States billionaire and hotel and show business mogul, Donald Trump who came in as the 488th richest man in the world.

In 2008, Dangote was reportedly worth $3.3 billion and ranked as the richest black African to appear on Forbes' billionaire list and beating Oprah Winfrey to become the world's richest black person.

That year, he was ranked No. 334 in the world and although Egypt (The Sawiris family: $32 billion) and South Africa (The Oppenheimer family: $5.7 billion) had richer men, Aliko was first African billionaire of fully Black African ancestry to be listed.

Ironically, last year oil mogul, Chief Femi Otedola, who for the first time joined the world's rich club of billionaires, when he was ranked by the Forbes as 601st on the billionaires' list was visibly absent from the top 1000 list for this year.

Otedola with last year's net asset put at $1.2 billion was among the 793 richest men in the world, even as Dangote who made his debut in 2008 was rated as the 261st, with a net asset of $2.5 billion in 2009.

While Dangote dropped in ranking from 261 last year to 463 this year, Otedola was not even ranked in a development some observers said was a sign of the global economic meltdown and stringent government policies impacting on businesses the world over.

Also, Dangote in 2008 year emerged for the first time the richest black person in the world, then with a net asset of $3.3 billion; which shrunk to $2.5 billion in 2009, even though his rank rose from 334th to 261st, to the present $2.1 ranked as 463

Of significant notice is the number of Indians in the overall 1000-man list although they only dominate the lower rungs of that list with the top placings being dominated by American billionaires.

For the third time in three years, the title of the world's richest man has changed hands as Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim Helu was also named by the magazine as the current holder with an estimated wealth of $53.8 billion, beating renowned figure man and former holder Bill Gates to the crown.

Helu who pounced on privatization of Mexico's national telephone company in the 1990s becomes world's richest person for first time after coming in third place last year. His net worth is put at $53.8 billion up by $18.5 billion in a year.

Slim also edged out Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires.

Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second in the world. He is up $13 billion from a year ago as shares of Microsoft rose 50 percent in 12 months. Gates' holdings in his personal investment vehicle Cascade (CAE) also soared with the rest of the markets.

Buffett's fortune jumped $10 billion to $47 billion on rising shares of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK). He ranks third.

The Oracle of Omaha shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs (GS) and $3 billion in General Electric (GE) amid the 2008 market collapse. He also recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI) for $26 billion.

This year the World's Billionaires have an average net worth of $3.5 billion, up $500 million in 12 months. The world has 1,011 10-figure titans, up from 793 a year ago but still shy of the record 1,125 in 2008. Of those billionaires on last year's list, only 12 percent saw their fortunes decline.

U.S. billionaires still dominate the ranks, but their grip is slipping. Americans account for 40 percent of the world's billionaires, down from 45 percent a year ago.

The U.S. commands 38 percent of the collective $3.6 trillion net worth of the world's richest, down from 44 percent a year ago.

Of the 97 new members of the list, only 16 percent are from the U.S. By contrast, Asia made big gains. The region added 104 moguls and now has just 14 fewer than Europe, thanks to several large public offerings and swelling stock markets.