Digital Leonard Blog

The richest man in Africa and the Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, on Wednesday urged the federal government to use its population growth for economic growth. He wondered why the country relegated local content while relying heavily on importation. Dangote, who was represented by the Group Executive Director at the company, Ahmed Mansur, spoke on the topic, ‘Industrialisation - Backward integration as a strategy for national development: The Story of the Dangote Group’, during the inauguration ceremony of the University of Ibadan Business School Complex. He said Nigeria spent over N1.5 trillion annually on food importation, stressing that it put a heavy pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange. He explained that up to 80 percent of the inputs in most manufacturing processes in Nigeria still relied on imported components, while noting that Dangote’s backward integration policy had birthed economic advantage for the country. “With an enviable population and natural resource...

Aliko Dangote, billionaire businessman, says he wants to be known as the biggest philanthropist in Africa. Dangote said this at the weekend during the inauguration of the foundation’s “one-off and unconditional micro-grants” programme in Niger state. The scheme, according to the statement, targets 25,000 disadvantaged and vulnerable women in Niger state, who will each be given N10,000 cash “to boost their household income generation.” Dangote, at the programme, which held at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna, said his foundation had earmarked N10bn for the empowerment of vulnerable women in the 774 local government areas of the country. “I do not only want to be known as Africa’s richest man, but the biggest philanthropist,” he said. “I will continue to use my resources and my voice to help shape a better Nigeria, and Africa as a whole.” He added that the Aliko Dangote Foundation had disbursed N2.5bn to 256,500 women across Kano, Lagos, Jigawa, Kogi,...