Overview

Aliko Dangote is a noted businessman as well as a real estate entrepreneur based in Nigeria. The Nigerian founder and President of Dangote Group, is one of the richest men in Africa.

Also known as the ‘Golden Child’ in Nigerian business circles, entrepreneur Aliko Dangote is one Sub Saharan Africa’s top billionaire. According to Forbes, property business entrepreneur Aliko’s fortunes are estimated at $ 2.5 billion.

The Forbes 2008 list of the richest people in the world, he was ranked first in Nigeria. At 52, real estate entrepreneur Aliko Dangote has altered a company of small commodities and building materials not only into one of the largest but also one of the most successful multi-faceted companies in Nigeria. Along with real estate business, entrepreneur Aliko is into import, export, manufacturing as well as philanthropy.

Education

Real estate entrepreneur Aliko has little education.

Business/Career

As is the custom in Nigeria, entrepreneur was given small stipend by his grandfather, with which Aliko started his career as a trader at the young age of 21. Aliko started trading in small commodities and building material enterprise in the year 1977.

In June, the same year, he shifted to Lagos and continued his business in cement and commodities. The year 1981 saw the incorporation of two companies and the birth of Dangote Group.

He built Dangote Group into conglomerate with interests in sugar, flour milling, cement manufacturing, salt processing, textiles, haulage and oil, gas and even real estate business. Dangote Group operates in Nigeria and in various other North African countries.

With importing of over 400,000 metric tones of sugar annually that accounts for abot 70% of the total requirement of Nigeria along with being a major supplier of the product to the country’s soft drink companies Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola and Seven-Up and breweries and confectioneries, the Dangote Group dominates the sugar market in Nigeria.

Other than this, Dangote Group imports 200,000 metric tones of rice every year and also imports tones of cemnt and fertilizers and building materials. In addition, this group imports fish and owns three big fishing trawlers on one hand and exports cotton, cocoa, sesame seed, cashew nuts, ginger and gum.