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Move over Oprah, Nigerian oil tycoon Folorunsho Alakija is now the richest black woman in the world with an estimated fortune of $7.3 billion. Africa boasts 55 billionaires � far more than previously thought � and they�re worth a staggering $143.88 billion in total, according to pan-African magazine Ventures Africa. Starting her career as a secretary in a bank in the mid 1970s, Alakija, 62, then studied fashion in London and returned to Nigeria to start a label, Supreme Stitches. But her biggest break came in oil. In 1993, her company, Famfa Oil, was awarded an oil prospecting license, which later became OML 127, one of the country�s most prolific oil blocks, by then-president Ibrahim Babangida. The company owned a 60 per cent stake in the block until 2000 when the Nigerian government unconstitutionally acquired a 50 per cent interest without duly compensating Alakija or Famda Oil. In May 2012, Alakija, a married mother-of-four, challenged the acquisition and the Nigerian Supreme Court reinstated the 50 per cent stake to her company. She also has a charity called the Rose of Sharon foundation that helps widows and orphans by empowering them through scholarships and business grants. Forbes magazine had estimated Alakija�s fortune at $600 million, as of November 2012, but the magazine�s editor-in-chief Uzodinma Iweala said his researchers were �closer to the ground.� Richest African: The overall richest African is Nigerian manufacturer Aliko Dangote, pictured, who is worth $20.2 billion. Twenty Nigerians are listed in total They noted that Brazilian oil company, Petrobas, was looking to sell its 8 per cent stake in OML 127 for $1.5- $2.5 billion, and extrapolated that if they managed to sell it for $1 billion, Alakija�s 60 per cent stake would be worth at least $7.3 billion. Iweala claims this and other estimates included in the report are actually �on the conservative side� and said the magazine expect to unearth more African billionaires shortly. The overall richest African is Nigerian manufacturer Aliko Dangote who is worth $20.2 billion. Twenty Nigerians are listed in total. According to Forbes, Oprah Winfrey is worth $2.9 billion.