Aliko Dangote is a
multi billionaire business man who is the CEO of the Dangote groups. His companies
operate majorly in Africa and he is estimated to be worth 19.8 billion dollars.
He was born on the 10th of april 1967 and hails from Kano state.
Dangote groups is a
business empire that was established in 1977 and its wings covers from food
processing and distribution to cement distribution and many other sectors. The
company has moved from just being a trading company to becoming the largest
industrial group in Africa.
In Nigeria today, Dangote
dominates the sugary refineries, cement and food processing mills. Dangote
Group with its dominance in the sugar market and refinery business 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, producing 800,000 tonnes of sugar annually. Dangote Group
owns salt factories and flour mills and is a major importer of rice, fish,
pasta, cement and fertiliser. The company exports cotton, cashew nuts, cocoa,
sesame seed and ginger to several countries. It also has major investments in
real estate, banking, transport, textiles and oil and gas. The company employs
over 11,000 people and is the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa.
Dangote has diversified
into telecommunications and has started building 14,000 kilometres of fibre
optic cables to supply the whole of Nigeria. As a result, Dangote was honoured
in January 2009 as the leading provider of employment in the Nigerian
construction industry.
He has also
participated in political activities and has reportedly shown interest in
football. Dangote reportedly added $9.2 billion to his personal wealth in 2013,
according to the Bloomberg Index, now making him the 30th richest person in the
world, in addition to being the richest person in Africa.
In 2014, the Nigerian
government said Dangote had donated 150 million Naira (US$750,000) to halt the
spread of Ebola.
In Nigeria today and
even in generations to come, Aliko Dangote would be one of the most influential
and reputable business men who have been able to stand against all odds to
achieve success in his venture.