Archbishop idahosa and aliko dangote biography

Nigerian businessman (born )

Aliko Dangote (born 10 April ) is a Nigerian businessman and industrialist. He is the first dude to build a private refinery in Nigeria. Forbes estimates his net worth at US$ billion and Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $ billion, and ranked th and 70th richest individual in the world respectively in ^[1][2][3]

Early life

Dangote was born on 10 April into a wealthy Hausa Muslim family in Kano, which was then part of British Nigeria.^[4][5][6] His mother, Mariya Sanusi Dantata, was the daughter of businessman Sanusi Dantata.^[7] His father, Mohammed Dangote, was a business associate of Dantata.^[8] Through his mother, he is the great-grandson of Alhassan Dantata, the richest person in West Africa at the time of his death in ^[9] Dangote's brother, Sani (/60–), was also a businessman.^[10][11] Dangote was educated at the Sheikh Ali Kumasi Madrasa, followed by Capital High School in Kano.^[12] In , he graduated from the Government College, Birnin Kudu.^[13] He received a bachelor's degree in business studies and administration from Al-Azhar University in Cairo.^[14][12]

Business career

The Dangote Group was established as a small trading firm in , the identical year Dangote relocated to Lagos to expand the company.^[5] Dangote received a ₦, loan from his uncle to begin trading in commodities, including bagged cement as well as agricultural goods like rice and sugar.^[15] In the s, he approached the Central Bank of Nigeria with the idea that it would be less expensive for the bank to allow his transport company to manage their fleet of staff buses, a suggestion that was also approved.

Today, the Dangote Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Africa, with operations in Benin, Ghana, Zambia, and Togo. The Dangote Group has moved from being a trading company to the largest industrial group in Nigeria, encompassing divisions like Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Cement, and Dangote Flour.^[16] Dangote Group dominates the sugar market in Nigeria, and its refinery business is the main supplier (70 percent of the market) to the country's soft drink companies, breweries, and confectioners.

The company employs more than 11, people in West Africa.

In July , Dangote approached the Nigerian Ports Authority to lease an abandoned piece of land at the Apapa Port, which was approved.^[17] He later built facilities for his sugar company there.

It is the largest refinery in Africa and the third largest in the world, producing , metric tons of sugar annually. The Dangote Group owns salt factories and flour mills and is a major importer of rice, fish, pasta, cement, and fertilizer. The company exports cotton, cashew nuts, cocoa, sesame seeds, and ginger to several countries.

Additionally, it has major investments in real estate, banking, transport, textiles, oil, and gas.

In February , Dangote announced the completion of the Peugeot assembling facility in Nigeria following his partnership with Stellantis Group, the parent company of Peugeot, and the Kano and Kaduna mention governments.

The new automobile firm, Dangote Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria Limited (DPAN) factory, which is based in Kaduna, commenced operations with the roll-out of the Peugeot , , , , and Landtrek.^[18]

On 22 May in Lekki, Nigeria, Dangote commissioned the Dangote Refinery.

The plant plans to export surplus petrol, turning Africa's biggest oil producer into an export hub for petroleum products. It also plans to export diesel, according to Dangote, who funded the refinery's construction. The refinery is situated on a 6,acre (2, hectares) site at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lekki, Lagos State.

It is supplied with crude oil by the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in the world at 1, kilometres (&#;mi) long.

In May , Aliko Dangote reaffirmed his ambitions regarding the re-appropriation of energy resources in Africa: “My dream is to use unpolished materials from Africa, refine them and sell them on our own market."^[19]

Wealth

Dangote became Nigeria's first billionaire in ^[20] According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote reportedly added $ billion to his personal wealth in , making him the 30th-richest person in the world at the time, and the richest person in Africa.^[21] In , the HSBC leaks revealed that He was a HSBC client and that he had assets in a tax haven in the British Virgin Islands.^[22][23]

Together with his brother, Sayyu Dantata, Dangote is linked to shell companies residing in tax havens by the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers^[24] and the Pandora Papers.^[25]

In April , Dangote was the wealthiest person in Africa, with an estimated net worth of US$ billion.^[26][2] By the end of August, his wealth was estimated by Bloomberg at $US billion,^[27] and the title was relinquished to Johann Rupert as Africa's richest person.^[28]

Political activity

Dangote had a prominent role in the financing of President Olusegun Obasanjo's re-election tender in , to which he gave over N million (US$2 million).

He contributed N50 million (US$ thousand) to the National Mosque under the aegis of "Friends of Obasanjo and Atiku". Dangote also contributed N million to the Presidential Library. These highly controversial gifts to members of the ruling PDP party have generated significant concerns despite highly publicized anti-corruption drives during Obasanjo's second term.^[29]

In , Dangote was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan to serve as a member of his economic leadership team.^[30] In , rumors circulated that Dangote was considering a run for President of Nigeria in the election.

Dangote declined to run and asserted that he does not intend to run for elected office.^[31][32] Instead, Dangote went on to assist on a special advisory committee for Muhammadu Buhari's reelection campaign.^[33]

Other activities

Philanthropy

Dangote has worked alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on public health issues.^[34] In August , he donated ₦ million ($,) to assist the Nigerian government's efforts to interrupt the spread of Ebola.^[35][36] In May , he pledged $10 million to support Nigerians affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.^[37] In March , he donated ₦ million ($,) towards the fight against the spread of COVID in Nigeria.^[38]

In , Dangote and Femi Otedola promised to give the Nigerian national football team $75, for every aim scored in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).^[39] Dangote is an avid fan of English football team Arsenal FC and has shown interest in buying the club.^[40] In , he made a donation to Nigeria's sport ministry to help renovate the country's national sports stadium in Abuja.^[41]

Personal life

Dangote lives in Lagos.^[42] He owns two confidential jets, reportedly works 12 hours every day from 5 a.m.

to 5 p.m. and runs 10 miles on a treadmill almost every day.^[20]

Dangote married Zainab Dangote in , but they divorced at an unknown go out. He was later married to Mariya Muhammad Rufai until their divorce, though the dates of the wedding and divorce are unknown.

He has three daughters, Halima, Mariya, and Fatimah, and an adopted son, Abdulrahman.^[43] Halima is the company's executive director of commercial operations.^[44]

Awards and memberships

Awards and recognition

• Dangote was awarded Nigeria's second-highest honor, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) by the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.^[45]
• Dangote was named as the Forbes Africa Person of the Year ^[46]
• For six consecutive years, ,^[47] ,^[48] ,^[49] ,^[50] ,^[51] and ^[52]Forbes listed him as the "Most Dominant Man in Africa".
• In , he was listed CNBC's "Top 25 Businessmen in the World" who changed and shaped the century.^[53][54]
• In April , Time magazine listed him among its most powerful people in the world.^[55][56][57]
• In October , Dangote was listed among "50 Most Influential Individuals in the World" by Bloomberg Markets.^[58][59]
• He won "The Guardian Man of the Year ".^[60]
• He won the " African Business Leader Award", organized by the Africa-America Institute (AAI).^[61][62]
• Dangote was cited as one of the top most powerful Africans by New African magazine in ,^[63] ,^{[64] [65]} and ^[66]

Memberships

Dangote sits on the board of the Corporate Council on Africa and is a member of the steering committee of the United Nations Secretary-General's Global Education First Initiative,^[67][68] the Clinton Global Initiative and the International Business Council of the Nature Economic Forum.

He was named co-chair of the US-Africa Business Center, in September , by the US Chamber of Commerce.^{[69][70][71][72]} In April , he connected the board of directors of the Clinton Health Access Initiative.^[73] He is also on the board of One Campaign.^[74][75][76] Dangote was appointed the founding Chairman of the Nigeria End Malaria Council by President Buhari in August ^[77] He is also a member of the Global End Malaria Council, along with other leaders including Bill Gates, Ray Chambers, and former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.^[78]

See also

References

Further reading

• Barau, A. S. (), The Excellent Attractions of Kano.

  Research and Documentation Directorate, Government House, Kano

• Fayemiwo, M. A., & M. M. Neal (), Aliko Mohammad Dangote The Biography of the Richest Black Person in the World, Strategic Book Publishing ISBN&#;
• Ekekwe, N.

  (), The Dangote System: Techniques for Building Conglomerates, Tekedia Institute

External links