Dangote Makes Unusual Outing

By Kenneth Duru

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote made a rather unusual outing last Friday. It was at The Guardian’s Man of the Year Award for 2015 which he won.

The pomp, the colour and the media razzmatazz which defined the event where Africa’s biggest industrialist was honoured looked quite exceptional for Dangote who is known for his humility. That Friday, Dangote gave glamour and glitter their free flow. His friends and associates, the crème-de-la-crème of Nigeria’s business, social and political circles were there.

At that event, Aliko Dangote gave many Nigerians a rare glimpse into his more private life by bringing along his three delectable daughters named Fatima, Halima and Mariam. Guests were fascinated by the spectacle of Dangote posing for the cameras with his three fully–grown daughters.

Expectedly, the event saw a staccato of superlative remarks and comments all in honour of the man of the moment, the humble but yet powerful Aliko Dangote. The host of the ceremony, Lady Maiden Ibru who is the Chairman and Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, said  Dangote won the award on account of his inimitable stature in industry and his unrivalled contribution to the uplift of the nation’s industrial sector. “He stood shoulders higher than others in his bold efforts to become the builder of modern Africa. Aliko has rewritten the book that indicates that Africans would rather patronise Western and Asian firms than one of their own,” she said. As part of his own tribute to the award recipient, former executive governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo noted: “Dangote is a source of pride to the entire black race for what he has contributed in terms of economic development not only in Nigeria but across the African continent.”

In response to the honour done him, Dangote thanked the management and staff of The Guardian Newspapers and further shed some light about what makes him stand out in business. “I built a conglomerate and emerged as the richest black man in the world in 2008, but it did not happen overnight. It took me 30 years to get to where I am today.” The celebrated businessman also harped on the inevitability of patience and tenacity of purpose as the building blocks for success in enterprise.

He spoke passionately about the plans of the Dangote Group to bring on stream a petrochemical complex that would have the largest refinery in the world with installed capacity of 650,000 barrels of oil per day. Aliko Dangote also gave highlights of the giant strides he has made in the area of cement manufacturing. He particularly highlighted the masterstroke pulled by his company which automatically crashed the price of cement by over 35 per cent. Today, Dangote has cement factories in foreign countries including Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Cameroun. The cement plant in Ethiopia alone provides employment for over 7,000 people.

Back in Nigeria, his investments in cement manufacturing span across the country. His factories employ several thousands of Nigerians. Apart from cement, the Dangote Group is Nigeria’s largest dealer in such commodities as rice and sugar. The group is also into many other products.

The man, Aliko Dangote is not just about business and industry alone. He is known to have done so much for charity. He has a philanthropic outfit called Dangote Foundation which takes care of the needy. Dangote Foundation donated a whooping sum of N 609 million to help fight the Ebola virus in West Africa. It also donated $1 million to the people of Nepal in the wake of the earthquake that ravaged the Asian country recently. Dangote reportedly spent over N20 billion on charity between 2011 and 2013.