When you hear the name Abdullahi Bashir Haske mentioned, it doesn’t ring any bells for many people. Well, it should, because that is the name of the youngest billionaire in Africa’s most populous black nation, Nigeria.

Often described as the “silent billionaire,” Mr. Haske is not only one of the few billionaires in Nigeria; he is also the youngest billionaire at only 35 years of age. His source of wealth is linked to oil and gas, and he worked as a contractor in his early years of business. 

Today, he sits as the Group Managing Director of AA & R Investment Group, a company that handles investments and high net-worth contracts in oil and gas, construction, and procurement. 

Born on 13 December 1987 in Yola, Adamawa State, Bashir Haske obtained a Diploma in Political Science from the University of Abuja and an MBA in Economics from the Lagos 

Business School. He has also obtained various certifications locally and internationally. 

Bashir Haske is a serial entrepreneur and private investor. He is also a philanthropist and owns a notable foundation in Nigeria, the Abdullahi Bashir Haske Foundation. Described as a goal-getter and result-driven individual by those who know him, he is a radical force in the business world and is often used as a role model for youths across the continent and globally. 

He stepped fully into the business world in 2005, and since then he has gone on to start his own company and rank as one of the youngest billionaires in the world. His company, AA & R Investment Group, boasts several subsidiaries with vested interests across oil and gas, aviation, marine services, logistics, and information technology.

The young billionaire is also the owner of Haske & Williams Limited – a commercial agriculture business; Nitro Switch Limited, Etihad Oilfield Services Limited, Etihad Trading Limited, Etihad Energy Limited; H&W Rice Co. Limited, and Mars Aviation Limited. 

He established a rice mill in his native Adamawa State and a cassava starch processing plant in Kwara State, which provide thousands of job opportunities for Nigerians. 

His foundation, the Abdullahi Bashir Haske Foundation, is focused on providing support to the less privileged through the provision of free services in public health, disease eradication, and small business grants. The activities of the foundation are focused in north and north-central Nigeria.

One of the foundation’s most significant outreach efforts was its campaign during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, which saw a total of 14,000 residents from 21 local government areas in Adamawa State receive palliatives to help reduce the direct effects of the pandemic.

He may not be a household name at the moment, but financial experts believe that it is only a matter of time before he becomes renowned across the continentA.