Aliko Dangote

Aliko Dangote, MFR, GCON is a Nigerian self-made business entrepreneur with an estimated $15.1 billion USD as at March 2013. He is the 67th richest man in the world and the richest man in Africa.

Aliko Dangote is the owner of the Dangote Group, with operations in Nigeria and several other countries in Africa, including Benin Republic, Ghana, South Africa and Zambia.

Dangote exports, imports, manufactures, and also run real-estate business and philanthropy.

He was born on April 10, 1957 in Kano to a wealthy Muslim family. His mother Mariya Sanusi Dantata was the granddaughter of Hausa business man, Alhassan Dantata and his father Mohammed Dangote was Dantata’s business associate.

He attended primary school education in Kano and later studied business at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

He started working with his uncle Sanusi Abdulkadir Danata at an early age, Dantata later gave him a loan of N500,000 when he was 21 years old to use to begin his own business.

Dangote used the money loaned to him by his uncle to found his Dangote group, which started as a small trading firm in 1977, the company has now grown into a multi-trillion naira conglomerate with operations in Benin Republic, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.

Dangote Group dominates the sugar market in Nigeria and Dangote Sugar Refinery is the main supplier (70% of the market) to the country’s soft drinks companies, breweries and confectioners. It is the largest refinery in Africa and the third largest in the world providing 800,000 tons of sugar annually.

He successfully built his fortune for more than three decades, now becoming West Africa's largest publicly-listed conglomerate, for sugar refineries, salt processing facilities and Dangote Cement, the continent's largest cement producer.

In 2012 he sold off a controlling stake in his flour milling company to Tiger Brands of South Africa for $190 million.

In February 2013 his Dangote Sugar Refineries acquired 95% stake in Nigeria Sugar producer Savannah Sugar in a bid to maintain it’s dominant position in the Nigeria Sugar industry.

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 to the National Mosque under the aegis of “Friends of Obasanjo and Atiku” and contributed N200 million to the Presidential Library.

More pictures of Alhaji Aliko Dangote

In 2012 he gave out over $100 million to causes ranging from education to health, flood relief, poverty alleviation and arts.

Awards and recognition

Dangote was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 67th richest person in the world and the richest in Africa.

He was honored in January 2009 as the leading provider of employment in the Nigeria construction industry.

On November 14, 2011, Dangote was awared Nigeria’s second highest honor of Grand Commnader of the Order of the Niger (GCON) by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He retains his position as Africa’s richest man for the fourth year in a row.

Quotes creditable to Aliko Dangote

"Nigerians can be even bigger than me, " he said "you just have to believe that yes, there is a future in this country of ours and I can tell you right now, I don't believe we have even started doing anything in Nigeria because the opportunities are so enormous. I don't even know where to start.

“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”

"Let me tell you this and I want to really emphasize it...nothing is going to help Nigeria like Nigerians bringing back their money. If you give me $5 billion today, I will invest everything here in Nigeria. Let us put our heads together and work."

He said “I assume I have to be rated by Forbes magazine prior to being called the richest man in Africa” But, you know, I’m very comfortable.

“If you give me today $5 billion, I will not invest any abroad; I will invest everything here in Nigeria. Let us put heads together and work.”

Sources:

Naijan.com

Wikidepia

Forbes Magazine

Posted in Important Nigerians

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