Aliko Dangote
Most of Nigeria’s richest men, be they generals, politicians or businessmen, have made their money either directly or indirectly from oil – which accounts for more than 90% of the country’s hard currency earnings.
Aliko Dangote stands out for having amassed a fortune from humbler fare. Arguably Africa’s richest man, and certainly its wealthiest industrialist, his career began when he secured a licence to import cement three decades ago.
The son of a well-off family from the predominantly Muslim north, he cultivated ties with military regimes that ruled between 1985 and 1999. But it was the civilian presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007 that marked the golden age of his Dangote Conglomerate, which dominates the supply of a wide range of staple products – from cement to sugar. Read the rest of this entry »
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