Africa’s Top 15 Biggest Companies

There is no shortage of big businesses that call Africa home. The Africa Report website maintains a list of the top companies on the continent - let’s take a look at the 15 biggest, based on earnings during 2011:

1. Sonatrach
   
   $58.7 billion
   
   Winning the biggest business race by a wide margin is this Algerian oil & gas giant. Sonatrach keeps most of its focus on the country’s rich oil and gas fields, but has expanded to operations in other places. It also does work in other industries, such as the desalination of seawater and power generation. Sonatrach invests in or owns 18 major companies, including an airline.
   
   
2. Sonangol
   
   $22.2 billion
   
   Though this list is dominated by South African companies, the top spots go elsewhere. Sliding in at number two is the Angolan oil giant Sonangol. It is practically a monopoly in the country, which is Africa’s third-biggest oil producer. Under its umbrella sits over 30 subsidiaries - most of which do business with Sonangol to help it reach its needs. These include railways, transport systems, telecommunications companies and refinery facilities located across the globe.
   
   
3. Sasol
   
   $18.3 billion
   
   Energy is the name of the game for SASOL, which has interests in coal, oil, gas and more. It recently made a massive investment in a gas-to-fuel plant in the U.S. - to the tune of $21 billion - and has a presence in 38 countries. It can be found on every continent and is very active in the African energy market. SASOL is said to contribute 4 percent of South Africa’s GDP.
   
   
4. MTN Group
   
   $17.2 billion
   
   Though it is the smaller of South Africa’s two mobile giants, MTN has a much larger global reach than its competitors. It is present in sixteen African countries and several in the Middle East. Established in 1994, by mid-2011 the group boasted having over 147 million subscribers. In recent years it has made good on expanding in West Africa and the Middle East, helping it collect some nice returns.
   
   
5. The Bidvest Group
   
   $16.5 billion
   
   Large corporate groups often have their fingers in many pies. Still, Bidvest takes this to a whole different level. Though securely a South African company, it has operations across the planet, dealing in anything from travel to transportation to food services - of which Bidvest is one of the largest in the world. Said to employ over 100,000 people, Bidvest also has businesses in the fields of stationary, medical waste management and industrial lighting. Recently it has made an offer to buy Amalgamated Appliance
   
   
6. Eskom
   
   $13.7 billion
   
   Though it is plagued with aging infrastructure, Eskom still remains the biggest generator of power in Africa and one of the biggest in the world. It generates 95 percent of power used in South Africa and also meets 45 percent of the rest of Africa’s power needs. There isn’t any company in Southern Africa that plays remotely the same role as Eskom, placing it in a good position to take in a lot of money - aided by its lucrative protection as an asset controlled by the South African government.
   
   
7. Shoprite Holdings
   
   $10.14 billion
   
   One of Africa’s richest men sit at the head of this table: a retail giant found across the continent. Its stable is full of pedigree brands: Shoprite, Checkers, OK, House & Home, Medirite Pharmacies and a multitude of shops based in all forms of retail. In total the group has control over or input in more than 1,700 shops - located in countries that include South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania and Mauritius. There are Shoprite stores in 17 African countries. It is listed on the South African, Zambian and Namibian stock exchanges.
   
   
8. Sanlam
   
   $10.12 billion
   
   Founded nearly a century ago, Sanlam has evolved from its beginnings as a mere insurer to a large financial services group. It has a presence on both the Namibian and South African stock exchanges. Physically it operates in numerous countries on the continent and across the globe, including Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi - as well as the U.K., India and Australia. It very recently made moves to enter the South-East Asian market, by buying a large share of a Malaysian insurance company.
   
   
9. Vodacom Group
   
   $9.2 billion
   
   This telecommunications giant has done well, reaching far beyond the borders of its home base in South Africa. Today the Vodacom Group provides access to mobile communications in five African countries, totalling over 30 million customers. Its South African operation holds more than 50 percent market share in that country.
   
   
10. Imperial Holdings
    
    $8 billion
    
    Measured by turnover, the Imperial Group is the 12th-largest company in South Africa. It owns the largest number of car dealerships in the country, which cover just about every major brand available. Beyond that it has a large rental division - including Eurocar and Tempest Car Hire - and is also the largest privately-held logistics company in the country. The group recently expanded into delivering pharmaceuticals. It has a large footprint across Africa and parts of Europe.
    
    
11. Pick 'n Pay Stores Holdings
    
    $7.8 billion
    
    A well-known name in South Africa, this food and consumer goods retail giant has firm footholds across Southern Africa, along with interests on other continents. Founded in the late Sixties, it currently employs over 40,000 people and has nearly 800 stores - ranging from grocery and liquor outlets to pharmacies. The Ackerman family, who founded the company, stand among South Africa’s most powerful and influential people.
    
    
12. Steinhoff International Holdings
    
    $7.2 billion
    
    Though based in Africa, much of Steinhoff’s business is in Europe and Asia. The group holds stakes in a large variety of companies and industries. For example, in Europe it owns some of the continent’s biggest furniture manufacturers. But its retail presence in South Africa is equally dominant - particularly through the JD Group, of which Steinhoff owns a majority share. This company’s brands includes goods and technology firms HiFi Corporation and Incredible Connection, furniture retailers such as Bradlows and Morkels, and the Timber City hardware chain.
    
    
13. Massmart Holdings
    
    $7.1 billion
    
    Even if you did not hear about Massmart before, its name became commonplace when Walmart purchased a sizable share of the company. This retail giant controls stores such as Game, Dion Wired, Makro, Builder’s Warehouse and Jumbo. Between these and other companies in its stable, Massmart has presence in over a dozen African countries, including Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia and Zambia.
    
    
14. Anglo Platinum Corp.
    
    $6.92 billion
    
    Though the recent strikes in South Africa are bound to impact its earnings, Anglo American’s platinum division remains one of the strongest industrial forces on the continent. It is the largest producer of platinum in the world and responsible for 40 percent of the metal’s newly-minted output each year. AngloPlat runs numerous joint-ventures in Africa and operates over 8 mines in Southern Africa.
    
    
15. SAPPI
    
    $6.57 billion
    
    Paper is still big business, but SAPPI is even bigger. Known for its giant paper-making operation, the company actually services a much broader range of industries. For example, it provides fibres for clothing and has stakes in the pharmaceutical industry. Overall SAPPI products are used by companies in over 100 countries. It has manufacturing operations on three continents and is the world’s largest producer of chemical cellulose.

Source: MSN Africa