THOMAS SVANIKIER

$435 Million

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, SVANI GROUP

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Wealth: Self Made, DIVERSIFIED

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Known For: SVANI GROUP, AFRICA CAPITAL

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OVERVIEW

Thomas Svanikier is a descendant of Danish entrepreneurs who migrated from Denmark and settled in Christiansburg, Osu, in Accra. He is the founder of a number of companies including Svani Group of which he is Executive Chairman. Svanikier acts as a consultant and advocate for international companies who wish to invest and operate in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa.

Svanikier founded Svani Limited in 1990 as an automobile retailing company based in Accra, Ghana, supplying vehicles to Ghana and neighbouring countries. Since then it has expanded and diversified into the Svani Group with subsidiaries and capital investments in transportation, energy, finance and real estate. Svani Limited is a manufacturer representative for several international industrial firms. 

Svani Limited was the representative of Scaldia Volga (Belgium) the largest distributor of Russian vehicles in Europe, Middle East and Africa in the early 90s, Svani Limited sold the largest selection of Russian vehicles in Ghana and West African Sub-Region. These include LADA NIVA, NIVA DIESEL, LADA SAMARA and ALEKO.  In 1994, Svani Limited relaunched the sale of American Ford and Lincoln Mercury cars in Ghana. This was in response to a discernible gap in the effective and efficient sale and support of American vehicles on the Ghanaian market.

SVANI has sold armoured vehicles to the US Secret Service in Nigeria, Irish Embassy, Governor of Lagos State, Government and State Protocol of Liberia, Ministry of Foreign State Protocol of Republic of Togo as well as State Protocol and Office of the President of Ghana.

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NET WORTH SUMMARY

Most of Svanikier’s fortune was obtained from SVANI Motors, an automobile retailing company, and his private equity firm Africa Capital LLC which is the largest shareholder of Fidelity Bank Ghana and Fidelity Asia Bank, Kuala Lumpur. The equity firm also owns shares in Atholl Energy and DreamOval, which is a technology company developing internet security systems software and mobile hardware for global markets.

Atholl Energy Ghana Limited was responsible for constructing a 320-megawatt turbopower plant valued at $200 million and sited at Takoradi in the Western Region.

He is founder and chairman of Global Strategic Ventures Ltd, which supplies security solutions, armored vehicles and bullion vans for governments, banks and mining companies.

Svanikier's private equity firm, Africa Capital LLC owns a 32.12% stake in Fidelity Bank Ghana, Fidelity Bank is currently the fourth largest bank in Ghana. The bank’s total assets also stood at GHC 3.135 billion as at December 2014.

SVANI Motors, a subsidiary of the Svani Group, controls about 20% of the global vehicles market in Ghana and has service centres in Accra, Takoradi, Koforidua and Kumasi. Svani Motors is currently the sole importer and distributor of Mahindra vehicles and has acquired a 9.6 acre land along the Accra-Tema motorway for the construction of a modern automobile plaza assembly plant that would assemble Mahindra vehicles and also service them.

In 2014, Svani Motors supplied more than 3,500 Mahindra vehicles to state institutions, private organisations, industries, UN agencies and individuals in Ghana.
Currently SVANI Motors is also the largest distributor of Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles and Ford vehicles in Ghana.

In December 2014, Svani Group Limited donated eight Mahindra pick up vehicles and three 20 kvA generators valued at $250,000 to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the fight against the Ebola viral disease.
Svanikier is a non-executive director of Opportunities industrialization Centre and the Africa Poverty Eradication Commission, both located in Accra, Ghana. He is a founding member and former non-executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana.

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