Who was Mansa Musa, what is his net worth today, what are his achievements?

When men of great substance and wealth are mentioned, we hear names like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, and many others, with very few Africans mentioned. But centuries ago, there was an African emperor who topped the list of the richest men in the world and to this day he is still considered the richest man who has ever walked. Earth’s surface. The wealth of the richest man today must be multiplied at least four times before it is equivalent to that acquired by Mansa Musa, the tenth Mansa of Mali.

Who was Mansa Musa?

Mansa Musa is widely known to be the richest man of all time. He lived from 1280 to 1337 and was Emperor of the Mali Empire from 1312 until his death. He was born as Musa Keita in the Keita dynasty and was the great-nephew of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita. The Keita dynasty was the first royal family of the Mali Empire. His father was FagaLaye and his grandfather was Abu-Barka-Keita, Sundiata Keita’s brother.

During the reign of Abou-Barka-Keita II as Emperor of the Mali Empire, Musa was appointed as the Emperor’s deputy. After Abu-Barka-Keita II went on an expedition to explore how far the Atlantic Ocean went and never returned, his deputy, Musa, was then named the 10th Emperor of the Mali Empire. Upon Musa’s accession to the throne, he adopted the title of Mansa, which translated as “emperor”. Having become the emperor of the richest empire in all of West Africa, he appointed his son, Magha Keita, as his deputy.

His kingdom initially consisted of the countrieswe now know Mali, Ghana and Mauritania. Mansa Musa was however far from satisfied with the territory he controlled and wanted to expand his kingdom. He then expanded the Mali Empire by annexing Timbuktu and regaining control of Gao. He conquered over 24 cities and extended his kingdom over 2000 miles, covering parts of Nigeria, Chad, Gambia, Senegal and Ethiopia.

Mansa Musa’s reputation and the abundant wealth his possessed kingdom was soon heard of in Europe and this helped secure Mali a place on the world map as a wealthy kingdom. The wealth the emperor possessed made him one of the most influential and powerful rulers of all time.

Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire for 25 years and Although the exact date of his death is inconclusive, scholars believe he died in 1337. After his death, his son and deputy, Mansa Magha Keita, succeeded. Mansa Magha Keita ruled the Mali Empire from 1337 to 1341 and was succeeded by his father’s older brother, Mansa Suleyman, who then ruled from 1341 to 1360.

After Mansa Musa’s death, his successors failed to defend his empire and fell to invaders from the north.

What is his net worth today?

During the reign of Mansa Musa, it was practically almost impossible to calculate the wealth of the emperor because it was enormous. He was the richest ruler of the empire in the western part of Africa and the main source of his kingdom’s wealth was gold and salt, and every gold and salt produced in the kingdom automatically became his .

According to calculations based on the value of the dollar, Mansa Musa’s net worth to date would definitely be over $450 billion.

What are his accomplishments?

– Under his reign, he brought urban revolution to the Mali Empire, through education and architecture. So many famous buildings were built in his time.

– As a devout Muslim, he repeatedly went on pilgrimages to Mecca. On each of his trips to Mecca, he went there with 60,000 men, soldiers, slaves and worshippers. He also accompanied 2,000 camels carrying gold which he would give to the poor on their way to Mecca.

– At one time he caused unintentional inflation in Cairo when he gave so much gold to the poor of the city that the value of gold in Cairo collapsed and the cost of goods in the city was exaggerated. It took several years for Cairo’s economy to regain its stability.

– Every Friday of his pilgrimage to Mecca, whenever he and his men stopped to rest, Mansa Musa built a mosque there.

– He made Timbuktu a center of commerce and education.

– He created the University of Sankoré.

– He also made Europe aware of the wealth that the Mali Empire possessed, prompting other countries to trade with Mali.

– He left behind the legacy of a donor and an education enthusiast.