Born on April 10, 1957, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, founded and chairs Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer. For the tenth time in a row, Dangote was named the richest man in Africa in 2021, with an estimated net worth of $11.8 billion. Dangote grew up in an entrepreneurial household in Kano State, Nigeria. He was raised Muslim and lived an upper-class life. Dangote’s grandfather, Sanusi Dantata, was once named one of the wealthiest people living in Kano, and his great-grandfather, Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, was the richest West African at the time before his death in 1955.
His business career started after he finished Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, with a degree in business studies and administration. At the age of 21, Dangote borrowed $3,000 from his uncle to import and sell agricultural commodities in Nigeria, he managed to repay the entire loan within three months of starting operations. Ultimately, Dangote was able to turn a local commodities trading business into a multibillion-dollar corporation. Dangote also owns stakes in publicly-traded salt and sugar manufacturing companies.
In March 2020, he donated 200 million nairas ($500,000) towards the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Dangote was awarded Nigeria’s second-highest honor, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, by the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, and was awarded Forbes Africa Person of the Year in 2014. The Africa-America Institute also awarded Dangote the 2016 African Business Leader Award.
Source
Boitumelo Masihleho is a South African digital content creator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes University in Journalism and Media Studies and Politics and International Studies. She’s an experienced multimedia journalist who is committed to writing balanced, informative and interesting stories on a number of topics. Boitumelo has her own YouTube channel where she shares her love for affordable beauty and lifestyle content.
