Abdul Samad Rabiu taps Baglietto for superyacht after Bombardier jet order

Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group, is steadily building a collection of luxury assets that mirror his stature in global business. Just months after he placed an order for Bombardier’s Global 8000 business jet, the world’s fastest civilian aircraft, the 65-year-old billionaire businessman announced plans to add a 60-meter superyacht to his portfolio.

On his official Instagram account last week, Rabiu shared the milestone, revealing that Italian shipbuilder Baglietto would construct the vessel. “60 meters in the making. Thanks, Fabio and James. #ASR,” he wrote, offering a rare glimpse into the deal. Baglietto, based in La Spezia since 1854, is renowned for custom luxury yachts and large-scale engineering projects.

Yacht complements jets, cars, and mansions

A yacht of this size typically requires extensive naval architecture, engineering expertise, and a construction period that can stretch for multiple years. While delivery details remain undisclosed, the announcement confirms the project has moved into early planning.

The 60-meter superyacht will join a growing list of Rabiu’s luxury assets, which include private jets such as the Challenger 350 and Global 6500, mansions across Lagos, South Africa, and Dubai, helicopters, luxury cars, and electric  boats.

The recent move follows the Bombardier Global 8000 order, which complements BUA Group’s existing fleet and provides ultra-long-range capabilities, allowing non-stop flights from Lagos to New York or Dubai to Houston, a strategic fit for an industrial and manufacturing conglomerate with interests spanning Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Abdul Samad Rabiu mixes luxury with strategy

Rabiu has also shared glimpses of his personal life alongside these acquisitions. Over the past weeks, he posted photos from a  boat cruise, a safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, and private dinners in South Africa and Qatar with fellow billionaires, illustrating the intersection of leisure and business in his daily life.

These developments come amid a busy period for BUA Group. The conglomerate recently signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group and MAIR Group to explore collaboration in sugar refining, agro-industrial development, and global logistics. The partnership is designed to enhance regional food security, expand industrial capacity, and position Abu Dhabi as a trade and manufacturing hub.

BUA Foods is nearing the completion of Nigeria’s largest integrated sugar complex, a project aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on imports, while BUA Cement plans to expand production to 20 million metric tons annually in partnership with China’s CBMI Construction Co., moving closer to rival Dangote Cement’s 52 million metric ton capacity and solidifying its footprint across West Africa.

Luxury moves signal Rabiu’s global reach

With an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion, Rabiu is Africa’s third-richest billionaire, according to Forbes. Yet the recent moves in his private life—yacht, jets, and international leisure—reflect not just wealth but a deliberate cultivation of a broad network in line with his global business reach. For Rabiu, luxury and enterprise are entwined, with each high-profile acquisition signaling both personal achievement and the capacity to operate on an international stage.

(Shore Africa)