The Ownership 100

The best-selling phone brand across Africa — authored for the continent, wholly Chinese-owned.

The pipe that carries African football and Nollywood to the continent is now controlled from Paris.

Kenya's crown jewel: majority control sits with Vodacom, and above it Vodafone in London.

Castle, Carling and the rest of South Africa's beer heritage now sit inside the world's largest brewer, Belgian-owned since the SABMiller takeover.

Source: AB InBev / former SABMiller filings

Big enough to be a takeover target, it stayed public, African and widely held. No one controls it.

South Africa's biggest mobile operator is JSE-listed but majority-controlled by the UK's Vodafone.

Source: Vodacom Group filings · JSE

One of the continent's largest mobile networks, majority-owned by India's Bharti and dual-listed in London and Lagos.

Source: Airtel Africa plc filings · LSE

Strategic heavy industry at continental scale, majority-owned by its African founder.

Africa's most valuable bank by market capitalisation, widely held and South African-controlled.

Source: FirstRand Ltd filings · JSE

Africa's most valuable technology group by far — South African-founded and JSE-controlled, even as it invests globally.

Source: Naspers/Prosus annual filings · JSE

South Africa's largest retail bank by customers, publicly held and domestically owned.

Source: Capitec Bank Holdings filings · JSE

Nigeria authored the loyalty; Singapore, Jakarta and now the US own the company that banks it.

One of Nigeria's most profitable banks, publicly held and Nigerian-controlled.

Source: Guaranty Trust Holding Co filings · NGX

The grocery backbone of the continent, still South African-owned via public markets and the state pension fund.

A pan-African bank that returned to South African ownership after Barclays sold down its stake.

Source: Absa Group filings · JSE

Africa's largest bank by assets — JSE-listed and majority South African-held, with China's ICBC the biggest single shareholder.

Source: Standard Bank Group filings · JSE

United Bank for Africa spans the continent and is controlled by Nigerian capital through Heirs Holdings.

Source: UBA Plc filings · NGX

Global scale across dozens of countries and never sold the cap table — value compounds for an African family.

East Africa's banking heavyweight, African-majority-held with its founder and development-finance backers.

Source: Equity Group Holdings filings · NSE

The most concentrated African ownership on the desk: one Nigerian owns every share.

A pan-African bank headquartered in Togo, but with Qatar's QNB and South Africa's Nedbank among its largest shareholders.

Source: Ecobank Transnational filings

A South African energy-and-chemicals major, publicly held and JSE/NYSE-listed — capability and ownership both domestic.

Source: Sasol Ltd filings · JSE/NYSE

Cement, sugar and food at national scale, owned by its Nigerian founder.

Source: BUA Cement / BUA Foods filings · NGX

A marula liqueur that could only come from Southern Africa, now inside a Dutch brewer.

Morocco's telecoms leader across North and West Africa is controlled by the UAE's Etisalat.

Source: Maroc Telecom / e& filings

African-founded, still independent, and itself an acquirer of African companies.

A South African grocery institution, family-controlled and JSE-listed.

Source: Pick n Pay Stores filings · JSE

Authored in Lagos, owned in San Francisco — and now buying other Nigerian fintechs onto a foreign rail.

The upmarket South African retailer, publicly held and domestically owned (distinct from the UK/Australia chains).

Source: Woolworths Holdings filings · JSE

One of Africa's biggest packaged-food groups, JSE-listed and South African-controlled.

Source: Tiger Brands Ltd filings · JSE

The retailer behind Game and Makro was taken to full ownership by America's Walmart.

Source: Massmart / Walmart announcements

Sold as the essence of Kenya, controlled from London for years, now heading for Tokyo.

Angola's dominant mobile network, now consolidated under Angolan state and domestic interests after the dos Santos-era stakes were unwound.

Source: Unitel ownership · widely reported

A national institution controlled from Amsterdam — the same portfolio as Amarula.

Ethiopia's incumbent operator, state-owned with only a minority floated in a landmark local IPO.

Source: Ethio Telecom IPO · widely reported

The African acquirer the desk roots for: scaled across the continent by buying, not being bought.

A Nigerian independent oil-and-gas producer, founder-led and dual-listed in Lagos and London.

Source: Seplat Energy filings · NGX/LSE

Africa's largest and most profitable airline, wholly state-owned — a rare fully-retained continental champion.

Source: Ethiopian Airlines · government ownership, widely reported

A household Nigerian food brand majority-owned by the Swiss parent, with a domestic minority float.

Source: Nestlé Nigeria filings · NGX

One of Nigeria's most important financial rails, ultimately offshore-owned.

A Nigerian energy group led and controlled by its founder.

Source: Oando Plc filings · NGX

Often called the continent's e-commerce champion — German-incubated, foreign-founded, New-York-listed.

The category-redefining diaspora beauty brand — authored by Rihanna, majority-controlled through France's LVMH.

Source: LVMH / Kendo · widely reported

A pan-African telecoms and digital group built and controlled by its Zimbabwean founder.

Source: Econet Wireless / Cassava Technologies · founder control, widely reported

The Kenyan flag carrier is government-led but part-owned by Air France-KLM and undergoing restructuring.

Source: Kenya Airways filings · NSE

The culture is authored by Nigerians; the majority equity is owned by a US major. The founders kept the mic.

Egypt's dominant digital-payments network, publicly listed and Egyptian-majority-held.

Source: Fawry filings · EGX

Didn't come home — moved sideways to the foreign-owned group that already owns Indomie.

A Nigerian business-banking champion, founder-built but with significant international venture ownership.

Source: Moniepoint funding · widely reported

Senegal's telecoms leader is controlled by France's Orange, with the state holding a minority.

Source: Sonatel / Orange filings

The state flag carrier, returned to full government ownership after the Takatso equity deal collapsed.

Source: SAA / Dept of Public Enterprises · widely reported

South Africa's leading online retailer, owned by Naspers — the value stays in South African hands.

Source: Naspers filings · Takealot ownership, widely reported

Nigeria's best-known premium content house, owned by its founder.

Source: EbonyLife · widely reported

Africa's home-grown streamer, now majority-owned through Canal+-controlled MultiChoice with US tech behind it.

Source: MultiChoice / NBCUniversal announcements, widely reported

A Nigerian challenger bank whose holding company is UK-incorporated and foreign-VC-owned.

Source: Kuda Technologies · widely reported

Africa's biggest music-streaming app by users — Chinese-owned, from the same house as Tecno.

Source: Transsion / NetEase · Boomplay ownership, widely reported

An asset-financing pioneer serving millions in East Africa, UK-headquartered and foreign-owned.

Source: M-KOPA · widely reported

A world-beating brand that under-earns; the fix — outside capital — is forcing the ownership question in real time.

A Kenyan food-distribution platform funded and majority-owned by international venture capital.

Source: Twiga Foods funding · widely reported

The rare one that came home: Coca-Cola owned it for six years; now UAC is bringing it back to Nigerian hands.

A Nigerian payments pioneer, still founder-associated but with global private equity and Visa holding significant stakes.

Source: Interswitch · Visa/Helios stakes, widely reported

East Africa's best-known coffee chain, controlled by a US-based private-equity firm.

Source: ECP · Java House acquisition, widely reported

Founded to place African engineers globally — now US-incorporated and foreign-VC-owned.

Source: Andela · incorporation and investors, widely reported

The diaspora natural-hair brand its founder sold to P&G — 'selling up, not selling out,' seat kept, equity gone.

A diaspora-authored beauty icon absorbed into a global consumer group.

African music distribution and catalogue moving under a global major.

West Africa's home-grown quick-service chain, African-controlled with pan-African private-equity backing.

Source: Food Concepts / Development Partners International, widely reported

An open-banking rail consolidated by an African acquirer, keeping the value on the continent.