Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 10, 1957 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Citizenship | Nigeria |
| Education | Business Studies, Al-Azhar University, Cairo |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman & CEO, Dangote Group |
| Years active | 1977—present |
| Known for | Wealth |
| Title | Alhaji |
| Parent(s) | Mariya Sanusi Dantata (f), Mohammed Dangote (m)[1] |
| Website | Homepage |
Alhaji Aliko Dangote (born April 10, 1957) is a businessman based in Nigeria. He is the owner of the Dangote Group, which has operations in Nigeria and several other countries in Africa, including Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa and Zambia.[3] A wealthy supporter of erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo and the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), Dangote controls much of Nigeria's commodities trade through his corporate and political connections. With an estimated current net worth of around US$ 13.8 billion, he was ranked by Forbes as one of the richest African citizens[4] and richest person of African descent in the world toppling Mohammed Al Amoudi ($12.3 billion) and Oprah Winfrey ($2.7 billion.)[5]
Business career
The Dangote Group, originally a small trading firm founded in 1977, is now a multi-trillion naira conglomerate with operations in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. Dangote's businesses include food processing, cement manufacturing, and freight. The Dangote Group dominates the sugar market in Nigeria: it is the major sugar supplier to the country's soft drink companies, breweries, and confectioners. Dangote Group has moved from being a trading company to Nigeria's largest industrial group, including Dangote Sugar Refinery (the most capitalized company on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, valued at over US$3 billion with Aliko Dangote's equity topping US$2 billion), Africa's largest Cement Production Plant: Obajana Cement, Dangote Flour amongst others.
Dangote played a prominent role in the funding of Obasanjo’s re-election campaign in 2003, to which he contributed over N200 million (US$2M). He gave N50 million (US$0.5M) to the National Mosque under the aegis of "Friends of Obasanjo and Atiku", and contributed N200 million to the Presidential Library. These controversial gifts to members of the ruling People's Democratic Party have contributed to concerns over continued graft despite highly-publicized anti-corruption drives during Obasanjo's second term.[citation needed]
On 23 May 2010, England's Daily Mirror newspaper reported that Dangote was interested in buying a 16 percent stake in Premiership side Arsenal belonging to Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith.[6] Dangote later denied these rumours.[7]
External links
- Nigerian wealth fails to trickle down
- Get latest quote and news for Dangote Flour Mills Plc
- Dangote Sugar, Most Capitalised Company
- Aliko Dangote: The Ultimate Volume Player
- David S. Fick; Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes
- Dangote Group Website
See also
References
- ^ "Aliko Dangote: The Ultimate Volume Player". Newswatch (Lagos). 29 June 1998. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
- ^ "The World's Billionaires #51 Aliko Dangote". Forbes.com. 3, March 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dangote Group's Cement Operations Spans Six African Countries
- ^ Forbes Names Dangote Richest African, This Day March 7, 2008
- ^ Forbes http://blogs.forbes.com/tatianaserafin/2011/03/09/nigerias-billionaires-plan-to-conquer-africa/.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Aliko Dangote Poised To Buy Stake In English Soccer Club
- ^ "Nigerian plays down Arsenal link". BBC News. 2010-05-24.