Home lists Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2021 Naguib Sawiris Chairman and CEO, Orascom Investment Holding Origin: Egypt Residence: Egypt Sector: Diversified In May 2020, weeks after oil prices turned negative for the first time ever, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris made a boldfaced prediction that oil will hit $100 per barrel within 18 months (it’s more than halfway there). He’s also made similar recommendations to investors to acquire stakes in distressed airlines, hotels and tourism amid the pandemic. But the biggest current bet of this telecom magnate with an estimated net worth of $3.2bn is gold. Earlier this year, through his subsidiaries, he invested millions in supporting Egypt’s gold exploration efforts.