Business

Aliko Dangote

From West Africa's wealthiest trading dynasty; turned a family loan into the continent's largest industrial group.

Born: 1957 · Kano, Nigeria
Roots: Hausa; northern Nigerian Muslim trading family
Family: Wealthy; Prosperous commodities-trader father; his great-grandfather Alhassan Dantata was reputedly West Africa's richest man.
Education: Al-Azhar University, Cairo (business studies)
Started with: ₦500K loan; From his uncle in 1977 (reported at roughly $325K then); repaid within months.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1977 · age 20
Uncle's loan₦500K
Moves to Lagos and starts trading rice, sugar, and cement.
1981 · age 24
Dangote Group consolidates
Trading operations across commodities.
1999 · age 42
From trading to manufacturing
Builds flour, sugar, and salt plants after Nigeria's return to civilian rule.
2010 · age 53
Dangote Cement
Grows into Africa's largest cement producer, listed in Lagos.
2013 · age 56
Africa's richest person
Per Forbes; has held the position every year since.
2024 · age 66
Dangote Refinery starts production$19B
The $19B plant is Africa's largest.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.