Aliko Dangote

Biography

Aliko Dangote is the wealthiest person in Africa with a net worth of $14 billion in 2022.

Aliko Dangote was born into a wealthy Nigerian family. Dangote began his career as a successful businessman in 1977 when he established a small trading firm named The Dangote Group. Aliko Dangote was able to begin his business with a $3000 loan from his uncle which he used to begin importing and selling agricultural commodities in Nigeria including rice from Thailand and sugar from Brazil. The Dangote Group now dominates the Nigerian sugar market and sugar refinery business as the primary supplier for Nigeria’s soft drink companies, breweries and confectioners. In addition to sugar refinery, the Dangote group also has interests in multiple industries including fertilizer production, cement manufacturing, salt refinery and oil refinery. Today Dangote Group is the largest conglomerate in West Africa with most of the company’s profits coming in from Dangote Cement.

Aliko Dangote has used his wealth and fame to become a leading philanthropist. From 2013 he partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help forward the cause of eradicating polio which saw its success in August 2020 with Africa’s certification as free of polio. Learn more about him here.

Want to connect with Leading Entrepreneurs in Africa like Aliko Dangote?

Join many of the top African Entrepreneurs at AFSIC – Investing in Africa, which has become perhaps Africa’s most important event. It offers an ideal opportunity for you to meet Africa’s most important investors.

AFSIC is believed to be the largest annual event bringing together African investors and investments taking place outside Africa and has become one of the most important conduits of investment into Africa. With the support of the sophisticated AFSIC African Investments Dashboard, AFSIC is entirely focused on bringing together Africa’s business leaders and Africa’s most important investors and dealmakers and will showcase investment opportunities from across the whole of Africa.

Networking and focused meetings at AFSIC provide you with an unparalleled opportunity to discover and develop a robust network of the highest quality of African business leaders. A comprehensive programme offers delegates streamed sessions covering Banking, Agriculture, Sustainable Growth, Infrastructure, Education, Informed Investing, Power and Fintech as well as focused country specific sessions showcasing excellent projects and insight into African investment opportunities.