Aliko Dangote

(Image Credit: Google) 

Date of Birth: 10 April 1957 in Nigeria

Nationality: Nigeria

Place of Residence: Lagos

Net Worth: USD$ 10.4

Source of Wealth: self-made, industry: cement, sugar, oil 

Education: BA/BSc from Al-Azhar University

Career: Founder of Dangote Group

Social Media: Twitter: @AlikoDangote

Personal Website: N/A

Political Position: Uncertain

In His Own Words:

Institutions are very, very important. Obviously nobody will go and invest in a place where there is no rule of law. (African Business)

Interactions: N/A

	Score	Notes
Electioneering
Campaign financing	10	Olusegun Obasanjo gave him a near-monopoly in the cement, sugar and rice industries. In return, Dangote financed his campaign.
Running for office	0
Public endorsements	10	He publicly endorsed Olusegun Obasanjo and helped him gain popularity.
Advocacy + Lobbying
Public advocacy	0
Lobbying officials	0
Political network	9	He is really close to previous president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Opinion Shaping
Media control	0
Public exposure	4	He has some presence in the media.
Research funding	0
Philanthropy
Donations magnitude	10	His overall donations made has succeeded USD $200 Million.
Control over recipients	?	Uncertain.
Public policy relevance	10	He has made donations in the fields of health, education and development.
Other

Electioneering:

Aliko Dangote grew rich through preferential political treatment; while Olusegun Obasanjo was president (1999 to 2007), he banned imports of cement, rice and sugar giving Dangote a near-monopoly. In return, Dangote put large sums of money into Obasanjo’s political campaign and helped him gain public support (Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust).
In 2003, Aliko Dangote played a prominent role in funding Obasanjo’s re-election campaign. He gave around 2.5 million US dollars to the cause, contributing N50 million (US$0.25M) to the National Mosque under the aegis of “Friends of Obasanjo and Atiku” and N200 million (US$1M) to the Presidential Library (Africa Social Network).

Lobbying & Advocacy: N/A

Opinion Shaping: N/A

Philanthropy:

Aliko Dangote set up the Dangote Foundation as part of the Dangote Group. The Foundation is responsible for contributing over $100 million to several causes in Nigeria and Africa. The Foundation intervenes in the areas of health, education and empowerment; it is also involved in providing humanitarian aid to victims of natural disasters.

The Foundation’s activities include:

• N230 million to women in Kogi State as part of the Kogi Human Capital Development initiative
• N1 billion for Nigerian universities
• a donation of relief materials worth N50 million to the community leaders in Jos suffering from effects of a prolonged ethno-religious crises in 2010
• $2 million to the World Food Programme to help Pakistani nationals devastated by floods in 2010
• Dangote Foundation contributed N2.5 billion as flooding relief
• In 2014, Dangote had donated 150 million Naira (US$750,000) to halt the spread of Ebola
• N30 billion ($185 million) in two years on philanthropic and humanitarian activities.
• Dangote Academy worth about N1 billion ($6 million), through it aims to develop manpower across various disciplines.
• N1 billion on the rehabilitation of some Nigerian universities, as part of its contribution to the educational sector.
• Donation of N2.5 billion ($15.4 million), two years ago, to cushion the effect of flooding in Nigeria- the single highest donation by a private body in the history of Nigeria.
• N430 million ($2.8 million) was also given to flood victims, unemployed youths and women in Kogi State in the same year.
• electrified 15 villages at the cost of N115 million.
• It also donated N100million to victims of Lagos flooding, another N100million to those in Sokoto and N60million to victims of flooding in Oyo State, two years ago.
• Recently Dangote group also donated N540 million ($3.3 million) to vulnerable women as a result of insurgency in the North East of Nigeria 
• N40 million ($246,502) to support the government in bringing succour to victims of communal clash.

In 2012, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it had entered into a strategic partnership with the Dangote Foundation to eradicate polio in Nigeria. Bill Gates said that Aliko is a leading figure in bridging the gap between private business and public health. For this reason, he helped create the Nigeria Private Sector Health Alliance and advocates agricultural research and malaria control, in addition to his leadership on polio and other diseases. Gates said “… Nigeria is on pace for its lowest number of polio cases ever. Aliko is a big reason why.”
Entering another partnership, in January 2016, Aliko Dangote and Bill Gates have announced plans for a $100 million scheme to cut malnutrition in Nigeria (The Guardian).

Controversy: N/A

Further Reading:

• Find out more about the second most powerful black man in the world on Camer.be (article in French).
• Read more about his oil refinery