Richest African Dangote Prepares Daughters in Succession Push

Aliko Dangote Photo by Victor J. Blue /Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Blo

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(Bloomberg) — Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, has given his three daughters greater responsibilities at his sprawling conglomerate, citing a plan to build it into a $100 billion business within four years.

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Dangote, 68, who last year retired as chairman of his cement business and appointed one of his daughters to its board, has expanded the roles of Halima, Fatima and Mariya across his empire, according to a staff memo seen by Bloomberg.  A company spokesperson confirmed the contents of the note. 

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Fatima Dangote, his youngest child, will assume a commercial leadership role at the energy business, which includes the giant Lagos refinery, while continuing to oversee Dangote Group’s corporate communications and administration. Halima Dangote, the middle daughter, who runs the family office in Dubai, will expand her remit to include its London operations and support the company’s international activities. Mariya Dangote, appointed to the board of the cement unit when her father retired in July, will lead commercial strategy for that business as well as the group’s  food operations across all markets.

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The changes will “empower a new generation to take on expanded responsibilities in shaping our future,” according to the note. 

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The moves mark a pivotal step in Dangote’s succession plan, accelerating the transfer of operational authority to the next generation at one of Africa’s largest industrial groups. The approach echoes a broader trend among billionaire founders — from India’s Ambanis to family-controlled conglomerates across Asia and the Middle East — who are formalizing dynastic transitions by elevating heirs into frontline executive roles while retaining strategic control.

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Dangote’s conglomerate spans sugar and salt to fertilizer and oil, anchored by its crown jewel — the cement business that generated his first billions. He intends to list the fertilizer unit and oil refinery on the Nigerian stock exchange this year and is seeking to expand his cement operations, which currently manufacture in 10 African countries.

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Aliko is worth $31.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His fortune surged after his 650,000-barrel-a-day refinery began operations two years ago. He plans to expand capacity to 1.4 million barrels a day by 2028, which would make it one of the world’s largest crude-processing plants.

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—With assistance from Anthony Osae-Brown.

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