Alhaji Aliko Dangote GCON (born 1957) is Africa's wealthiest person and Nigeria's foremost industrialist. Born in Kano to a wealthy trading family, Dangote started in commodities trading with a N500,000 loan from his uncle. He built the Dangote Group into Africa's largest conglomerate with interests in cement, sugar, flour, salt, and oil. Dangote Cement is Sub-Saharan Africa's largest cement producer, operating in 10 African countries. His $20 billion Dangote Refinery in Lagos (completed 2023) is the world's largest single-train refinery, capable of processing 650,000 barrels daily. This project aims to make Nigeria self-sufficient in petroleum products. Dangote's wealth (over $13 billion) hasn't insulated him from Nigerian problems; he actively invests in solutions. His foundation focuses on health, education, and poverty alleviation. Dangote exemplifies indigenous African capitalism and demonstrates that Africans can build world-class enterprises.


BUILDING AFRICA’S LARGEST INDUSTRIAL GROUP:
Aliko Dangote transformed a modest trading outfit into a continent-spanning conglomerate that manufactures cement, sugar, salt, pasta, fertiliser, and petroleum products. Dangote Cement operates integrated plants in Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Zambia, and beyond, supplying infrastructure projects across Africa. Strategic backward integration replaced imports with local production, stabilising supply chains and creating thousands of skilled jobs.

MANUFACTURING FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY:
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals complex in Lekki—commissioned in 2023—can process 650,000 barrels of crude per day, positioning Nigeria to meet domestic fuel demand and export refined products. A neighbouring fertiliser plant produces three million metric tonnes of urea annually, supporting African farmers and food security. These mega-projects rely on Nigerian engineers, welders, and technicians, proving large-scale industrialisation is possible on the continent.

INVESTING IN PEOPLE:
The Aliko Dangote Foundation, endowed with over $1 billion, supports public health, education, and economic inclusion initiatives. It funded Ebola response in West Africa (2014), underwrote mass polio immunisation campaigns, and partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on nutrition programmes. Through micro-grants and skills training, the foundation empowers women entrepreneurs and vulnerable households in every Nigerian state.

REGIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY INFLUENCE:
Dangote advises African Union industrialisation initiatives, chairs the Africa Business Coalition for Health, and advocates for continental free trade that benefits local manufacturers. He mentors emerging African CEOs, invests in power generation, and champions policies that reduce infrastructure bottlenecks. His success story inspires a new generation to believe in African-owned solutions for African challenges.

FAST FACTS:
- Born 10 April 1957 in Kano, Nigeria.
- Ranked by Forbes as Africa’s richest person for over a decade running, with investments in more than 10 African countries.
- Major honours: Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Forbes Africa Person of the Year (2014).
- Philanthropy focus: public health, nutrition, and women-led micro-enterprises through the Aliko Dangote Foundation.