The name Aliko Dangote is synonymous with wealth and affluence as well as industry in Nigeria, Africa and beyond but what people may not know is just how the man began his journey. For those who just woke up, Aliko Dangote GCON (born 10 April 1957) is a Nigerian billionaire, who owns the Dangote Group, which has interests in commodities. The company operates in Nigeria and other African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Togo, Tanzania, and Zambia.
You probably did not know that on Sunday 10th April was his birthday and that his grand father was Africa’s richest man at the time of his death in 1955.
Below are 6 things you probably didn’t know about the man:
● Dangote hails from a very prominent business family. He is the great grand son of Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, the richest African at the time of his death in 1955.
● Aliko Dangote, an ethnic Muslim Hausa from Kano State, was born on 10 April 1957 into a wealthy Muslim family. Dangote said, “I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets [sugar boxes] and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time.
● Aliko Dangote GCON (born 10 April 1957) is a Nigerian billionaire, who owns the Dangote Group, which has interests in commodities. The company operates in Nigeria and other African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Togo, Tanzania, and Zambia.
● As of January 2015, he had an estimated net worth of US$18.6 billion.
● Dangote is ranked by Forbes magazine as the 67th richest person in the world and the richest in Africa; he peaked on the list as the 23rd richest person in the world in 2014.He surpassed Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi in 2013 by over $2.6 billion to become the world’s richest person of African descent
● Dangote played a prominent role in the funding of Olusegun Obasanjo’s re-election bid in 2003, to which he gave over N200 million (US$1M). He contributed N50 million (US$0.25M) to the National Mosque under the aegis of “Friends of Obasanjo and Atiku”. He contributed N200 million to the Presidential Library.
These highly controversial gifts to members of the ruling Party [PDP] have generated significant concerns despite highly publicised anti-corruption drives during Obasanjo’s second term
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