Aliko Dangote

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Lore & Background

Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian businessman of Hausa descent, born on 10 April 1957 in Kano, Kano State, then British Nigeria. He was raised Muslim and educated in a Madrasa before completing primary school at a public institution. His maternal great-grandfather, Alhassan Abdullahi Dantata, was the richest person in West Africa until his death in 1955, having supplied groundnuts to the Royal Niger Company. Dangote’s mother came from a wealthy business family, and his father owned a transport company. After his father died in 1965, Dangote donated his inheritance to charity. He regards his maternal grandfather and maternal uncle as influential paternal figures. For secondary education, he attended Government College, Birnin Kudu, graduating in 1978, then studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, earning a bachelor’s degree in business studies and administration. He launched his first business with a $3,000 loan from an uncle, trading food products. In 1977, he founded the Dangote Group, a small company importing sugar, salt, and food items. He later expanded into cement, sugar refining, and other commodities, with his sugar refinery in Lagos becoming the second largest in the world. Dangote is the wealthiest individual in Africa and the wealthiest black person globally, with a net worth estimated over $35.1 billion. He was appointed to Nigeria’s economic management team in 2011 and awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger that same year. Time magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people in 2014.

Reader's Guide

His business empire spans cement, sugar, salt, flour, and oil, with operations across multiple African countries including Benin, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Dangote's legacy is tied to his role as the wealthiest black individual globally and a key figure in African industrialization. His business conduct is rooted in a long family tradition of commerce: his maternal great-grandfather was a major groundnut supplier to the Royal Niger Company and the richest person in West Africa until his death. Dangote began trading as a child, selling boiled sugar sweets to classmates, and launched his first formal venture with a $3,000 loan from an uncle. He expanded during the Nigerian Cement Armada, when the government authorized massive cement imports; he obtained an import license, acquired trucks, and built a cargo transport business to distribute cement. His sugar refinery in Lagos became the second largest in the world, and his Dangote Cement has generated about $3.7 billion in revenue, competing with the French firm Lafarge. Politically, he was appointed to Nigeria’s economic management team in 2011 and awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger that same year. Time magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people in 2014. His influence on the Nigerian economy is widely recognized, and his conglomerate is considered one of Africa’s largest, with operations spanning textiles, oil and gas, real estate, and food products.

Did You Know?

• Aliko Dangote was born on 10 April 1957 in Kano, British Nigeria.
• His maternal great-grandfather, Alhassan Abdullahi Dantata, was the richest person in West Africa until his death in 1955.
• He launched his first business venture with a $3,000 loan from his uncle.
• He was awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger in 2011.
• He was listed in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2014.

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