By Olushola Bello
Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, remains grand, like the nurturant custodian, whose tenderness and warmth blesses the land. At 60, Dangote has blossomed into a man of affluence and integrity.
Sixty years may be a tiny fraction of time, but the chairman of Dangote Group looms large across generations.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote represents what African businessmen should be. He is an example for aspiring entrepreneurs across the continent. Start small, aim very high, identify and take advantage of opportunities. Do not be discouraged by challenges. Give, and give generously to help others make progress.
Born on April 10, 1957 in Kano State, right from childhood, he had his eye on business. We could say, he probably discovered his destiny early enough and keyed into it. In one of his words, “I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets (sugar boxes) and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time.”
Dangote, right from when he was young had his eyes on business. He had always, as all real entrepreneurs do, seen opportunities where others see high risk and failure.
In an atmosphere of difficulty, when others would have given up, he took the risk. He is known for taking great risks in a highly risky environment. He has grown to have a Midas touch in every business he ventured into. He started as a commodity trader, he made success of it, he entered into sugar refining, and he made success of it. He set up cement manufacturing, he has made a huge success of it. Now he is venturing into petroleum product refining. His hard work has set him apart to the envy of his detractors who only see him as a beneficiary of government waiver and concession.
He has invested in the various sectors of the Nigerian economy and across the African continent thus creating millions of direct and indirect jobs in the continent of Africa. He has become a business colossus that bestrides the global business environment, making him the richest African today.
Dangote, a graduate of Business Studies from the Al-Azahar University, Cairo, Egypt, he started business in 1978 trading in commodities, before he ventured into full-scale manufacturing. The subsidiaries cut across cement production, sugar refining, salt refining, rice farming, flour milling, steel production, real estate and oil and gas.
The Group has presence in 17 other African countries, and is currently constructing the largest refinery, petrochemical and fertiliser complex in Africa, estimated to cost about $14billion.
Dangote is a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative steering committee; founding member of the Gordon Brown-led Global Business Coalition for Education; and member of the Clinton Global Initiative. Dangote, who is also ranked by Forbes as the ‘Richest Black Man in the World,’ is a notable philanthropist.
Widely acknowledged as a living example of generosity, grace and fortitude, Dangote is obviously a man with many feathers attached to his many caps of achievements. Having recorded immense success in business, he has always endeavoured to give back to society. He is a well-known philanthropist who donates generously to many worthy causes.
The Dangote Foundation, which he set up in 1993 as a vehicle to drive his Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, has had a positive impact on very many lives both within and outside the shores of the country. The Foundation focuses on improving the living conditions of Nigerians through support for projects which tackle hunger and water supply problems, strengthen the quality and scope of health and education and promote economic empowerment at the community level.
A leading global philanthropist, Aliko Dangote endowed his Foundation with N220 billion ($1.25billion) in 2014, making it the largest private philanthropy to date in Africa. Locally-focused, but globally- minded, the Dangote Foundation is at the forefront of improving the nutrition, health and education of Nigerians. He is passionate about lifting the most vulnerable people out of poverty through economic empowerment. The Foundation is a leading contributor to ‘Saving One Million Lives in Nigeria’ initiative, and a founding member of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria. He committed N7 billion to build a diagnostic centre and operating theatre, and for the upgrade of the existing facility at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano.
The Foundation was also at the vanguard of containing the spread of Ebola in Nigeria and other parts of Africa in 2014, and contributed close to N1 billion to the fight, including a $3million contribution to the Africa Union Ebola Trust Fund.
The Foundation has contributed over N1.8billion for relief to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in north-east Nigeria in 2016 alone, making it once again, the largest private effort providing relief to that part of the country. Annual spend for the Foundation so far in 2016, is estimated at N6.75billion.
Beyond the shores of Nigeria, Aliko Dangote has recorded milestones in philanthropy. In June 2015, he made a donation of $1million, through the Dangote Foundation, to lift victims of two earthquakes that devastated Nepal.
Earlier in September 2010, he donated $2million to support the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) efforts in Pakistan, which had suffered similar flooding incident, among his other interventions to bring succour to victims of natural disasters. He has equally made substantial donations to some African countries as part of his intervention efforts.
The Group has also established the Dangote Academy to train young technicians and craftsmen that are expected to boost the manpower needs of the nation’s industries.
He has received many laurels both within and outside the country, in recognition of his achievements and philanthropy. In October 2015, Aliko Dangote was listed among ‘50 Most Influential Individuals in the World’ by Bloomberg Markets.
In December 2014, he was named ‘Forbes Africa Person of the Year.’ In April 2014, TIME Magazine listed him among its TIME 100 ‘Most Influential People in the World.’ He also made the list of CNBC’s ‘Top 25 Businessmen in the World’ that changed and shaped the century.
He was listed by Forbes magazine in 2013 as the one of the most powerful men in the world and the ‘Most Powerful Man in Africa.’ In 2014, he was also named in conjunction with the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, among the ‘Most Powerful Men in Africa.’
He is, in addition, the richest African, according to Forbes. In September 2015, he was named ‘African Businessman of the Year’ by London-based IC Publications. Also in April 2016, he won ‘The Guardian Man of the Year 2015.’ In September 2016, he won the ‘2016 African Business Leader Award,’ organised by the Africa-America Institute (AAI).
The Dangote Foundation emerged winner of the ‘Philanthropy of the Year Award’ at the Grand Finale of the CNBC Africa-organised All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) held in South Africa, in November 2016.