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Aliko Dangote: Africa's Richest Man

Updated: Feb 6, 2023


Image credit: Premium Times Nigeria
Image credit: Premium Times Nigeria

Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa and the richest Black man in the world. Dangote has a net worth of $14.2 billion. He has made his fortune through successful investments in several industries, including shipping, textiles and real estate development.


Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa and the richest Black man in the world.

He was born in Nigeria and raised by his grandmother, who taught him how to be self-sufficient. He started out by selling textiles from a pushcart at age 12, then went on to become one of Africa's largest manufacturers of cement, sugar, and flour. His company also produces pasta sauce and bottled water under its own brand name "Pure Water."


Dangote has been listed among Forbes magazine's billionaires since 2009 (when he was ranked as number 654) through 2018 (#61). As of February 2019, he has an estimated net worth of $10.7 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine's annual list of billionaires


Dangote has a net worth of $14.2 billion.

Dangote started out as a commodities trader with his father's small business, before expanding into manufacturing and agriculture. He now owns several businesses including sugar refining plants, salt processing facilities, and cement manufacturing plants across Nigeria (and soon Ghana).


Aliko Dangote was born on March 13, 1957, in Kano, Nigeria.

Aliko Dangote was born on March 13, 1957 in Kano, Nigeria. He is the son of a wealthy businessman who owned trucks and buses. Aliko has seven siblings and is a devout Muslim.

Dangote got his start in business by selling bottled water and snacks on the side of the road before he opened his first cement plant when he was only 23 years old!


He won a scholarship to study at Kaduna Polytechnic College and eventually went on to earn a degree in business management from Leicester University Business School.

Dangote is a successful businessman who has made his fortune in manufacturing and commodities. He has an MBA from Leicester University Business School and was awarded a scholarship to study at Kaduna Polytechnic College.


He began his career by trading in cement, sugar and flour.

Image credit: Nairametrics
Image credit: Nairametrics

In 1977, Dangote began his career by trading in cement, sugar and flour. He was successful in this venture and gradually expanded his business to include several other commodities such as salt, edible oil, and gas.


Dangote Industries operates in 17 different countries, with manufacturing facilities across Africa and Asia.

He remains the principal shareholder and chairman of the board of directors of Dangote Industries Ltd., a Nigerian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Lagos. The company employs over 20,000 people across Africa and Asia and operates in 17 different countries with more than 100 manufacturing facilities.


The company's main business activities include sugar refining; flour milling; salt production; oil refining; cement manufacturing; real estate development; agro-processing (soybeans); fertilizers production through its subsidiary ADM Fertilizer Company Limited (ADMFL), salt processing through its subsidiary Atlantic Industries Salt Refinery Company Limited (AISRCL), steel production through African Steel Holdings Limited (ASH)[5], as well as other investments in various industries such as telecommunications.[6]


The company primarily specializes in cement production, but also manufactures flour and salt.


Image source: ThisNigeria
Image source: ThisNigeria

The company primarily specializes in cement production, but also manufactures flour and salt. It operates in 17 different countries across Africa and Asia. Dangote has been building manufacturing facilities across Africa since the 1980s. The company has also expanded into real estate development through its property development company, ADC Group.


Dangote is also involved in real estate development through his property development company, ADC Group.

Dangote is also involved in real estate development through his property development company, ADC Group. ADC Group has developed many large-scale real estate projects across Africa including the $2 billion Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos and the $1 billion dollar Kano Youth Park project. The group also holds interests in infrastructure projects such as power plants and ports.


Although he may not be well-known outside of Africa, Dangote is one of the wealthiest men on earth

Image credit: The Ghana Report
Image credit: The Ghana Report

Although he may not be known outside of Africa, Dangote is one of the wealthiest men on earth. He's been ranked as the richest man in Africa for years.


Dangote has made his fortune by building up a massive conglomerate as well as interests in other countries including South Africa, Egypt, and Zambia (where he owns stakes in mining firms). The company also owns two airlines--one national carrier based out of Lagos (its headquarters) plus another called Fly540 serving African destinations like Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania among others


Dangote is Africa's wealthiest man and he's been working hard to make sure that his country benefits from his success. He is building refineries, a cement plant, and an aluminum smelter in Nigeria.


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