Who is Aliko Dangote?
Aliko Dangote is Nigeria’s billionaire businessman and widely regarded as the richest black person in the worldand wealthiestin Africa. He is the founder and chairman of the Dangote Group, one of the largest industrial conglomerates on the continent.
Age
Aliko Dangote was born on April 10, 1957, in Kano, Nigeria. He is 69 years old as per now 2026.
Wife
He was married briefly in his youth (arranged marriage) and had three daughters from that marriage, then later had an adopted son. He keeps his private life very private and has said in interviews that he’s too focused on business to remarry.
He was linked publicly a few years ago to Sylvia Nduka (ex-Miss Nigeria), but they never married. Aliko Dangote is currently single as per now 2026.
Children
Here are Aliko Dangote’s 4 children:
1. Halima Dangote – The eldest and most well-known. Executive Director in Dangote Group, handles commercial operations. She studied at American InterContinental University in London.
2. Mariya Dangote- Keeps a very low profile, less is known publicly.
3. Fatima Dangote- Also involved in the family business, works in marketing and business development.
4. Abdulrahman Dangote (Fahad) – His adopted son.
All three daughters studied abroad and are now gradually taking on roles in the Dangote empire, but Halima is being groomed as the most prominent successor.
Career
He started very young. After graduating from Al-Azhar University in Egypt at 21, his uncle gave him a $3,000 loan in 1977 to start trading commodities like cement and agricultural goods in Lagos.
In 1981 he formally started Dangote Group. At first it was just import and trading. But in the late 1990s he switched from trading to manufacturing, because he said he wanted Nigeria to produce what it consumes.
KEY MILESTONE:
- 2000s: Built Dangote Cement, which became Africa’s largest cement producer with factories in 10+ African countries.
- 2000s-2010s: Expanded into sugar (largest refinery in Africa), salt, and flour.
- 2013-2024: His biggest bet, the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos. $19 billion project, 650,000 barrels per day. It started production in 2024.
- Today Dangote Group employs over 30,000 people and is the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa.
- He is doing a ground breaking on 30th September 2026 for Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu together with President of Kenya Dr William Ruto. The project is going to employ over 60000 youths and open the kenyan economy
From a small trader to Africa’s richest man for over 10 years straight — his whole career is built on one idea: manufacture in Africa, for Africa.
Education
He attended his primary and secondary education at Sheikh Ali Kumasi Madrasa and Capital High School, both in Kano, Nigeria.
He joined Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt graduated with a degree in Business Studies and Administration at age 21 (in 1977).
He doesn’t have a master’s degree. He often says most of his business education came from his grandfather, Sanusi Dantata, who was one of the richest traders in West Africa, and from starting trading early.
After university he went straight into business.
Net worth
As of September 2026 his net worth has increased
Forbes Real-Time (Sept 2026): $51.3 billion up from $28.5 billion in March 2026 50a052e6
That makes him Africa’s richest person for the 15th year in a row, and #36 richest in the world.
