Aliko Dangote, Nigeria?s most prominent businessman and Africa?s richest individual, has increasingly involved his three daughters in his business empire ? a move seen as both a sign of succession planning and a commitment to family legacy.

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, estimated by Bloomberg to be worth $28.5bn as of 28 July, has quietly begun stepping back from boardroom duties.

In June, the 68-year-old businessman retired from the board of Dangote Sugar Refinery. Last Friday, he also stepped down as chairman of Dangote Cement, the crown jewel of his conglomerate, before the launch of his $20bn oil refinery.

He has been replaced at Dangote Cement by Emmanuel Ikazoboh, a former chair of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, who joined the cement group in 2014.

Mariya Dangote ? Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, DPAN

His eldest daughter, Mariya Dangote, has now joined the board of Dangote Cement. According to a company statement, her appointment is intended to help the business remain ?agile and well positioned for long-term value creation?. Her ?cross-functional expertise and understanding of strategic operations? were cited as key assets.

Mariya became executive director of operations at Dangote Sugar Refinery in 2022, after overseeing strategic planning, backward integration projects and digital transformation efforts since 2019. She had previously worked as a business strategy and risk specialist at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), the group?s holding company, joining in 2016 shortly after completing an MBA at Coventry University in the UK.

She also serves on the board of Dangote Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria, which manufactures and markets Peugeot vehicles locally.

With Mariya?s appointment, two of Dangote?s daughters now sit on the board of Dangote Cement, Nigeria?s third-largest listed company, valued at N8.34trn ($5.4bn) as of 28 July.

Halima ? Dangote Cement, DIL, NASCON, Family Office

Halima Dangote was appointed to the Dangote Cement board in early 2022, shortly after the death of her uncle, Sani Dangote, who also served as vice president of DIL. She has been a group executive director at DIL since 2019 and previously led a turnaround at Dangote Flour Mills, culminating in its sale to Singapore?s Olam Group.

Between 2014 and 2016, she was an executive director at NASCON Allied Industries, another DIL subsidiary, and continues to sit on its board in a non-executive capacity.

In 2023, Halima was tasked with establishing and running the Dangote Family Office in Dubai. She is also a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the group?s philanthropic arm.

Fatima ? DIL, NASCON

Fatima Dangote, the youngest of the three, is group executive director for commercial operations at DIL. She oversees commercial strategy, communications, procurement and administration across the group. Earlier roles included working as a technical specialist in the strategy unit and as an executive assistant to the director of business development and portfolio management.

Speaking to The Africa Report last year, she underlined Dangote Industries? push to domesticate sugar production. ?Nigeria is importing 90% of the sugar requirement. The homegrown sugar is still less than 10%,? she said. ?However, with the aggressive implementation of the Backward Integration Programme, Dangote will be able to reduce its dependence on imports soon.?

She has sat on the board of NASCON Allied Industries since 2023 and previously served as executive director from 2016, during which she oversaw the company?s commercial sales, marketing, logistics and branding strategies.

Fatima is also closely involved with the Aliko Dangote Foundation and regularly appears alongside her father at public events. In a CNN interview last year, she described him as ?extremely hardworking?.

Asked whether he was demanding as a parent, she replied: ?A bit hard. I think he expects so much more from us compared to other people, and when you have a father like him, nothing but perfection is acceptable, then you have to work extra??

Expansion continues across core sectors

While stepping back from the cement business, Dangote has signalled a renewed focus on his group?s energy and industrial ventures. The conglomerate has recently launched a $2.5bn fertiliser plant in Lagos and brought its 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery in 2024. Last November, it reopened its tomato processing plant in Kano.

In a statement, DIL said Dangote would now concentrate on the refinery, fertiliser and petrochemical operations, as well as on government relations.

Earlier this month, he announced plans to more than double output at the fertiliser plant by 2028 and to boost refinery capacity to 700,000 barrels per day. He also revealed plans to develop what he described as ?Nigeria?s largest deep-sea port? to support exports of the group?s energy and industrial products, adding that the new port would ?become an anchor for our liquefied natural gas, fertilisers and fuels?.

Outside Nigeria, DIL has signed a $3bn agreement with the Ethiopian government to build a fertiliser plant in Gode, in the Somali Region.

?They are critical to the success of our business?

At a 2019 event in Lagos, Dangote highlighted the contribution of his daughters to the group.

He credited his entrepreneurial outlook to his mother, whom he described as ?a strong business-minded woman? who nurtured his ambition. ?My three daughters, Mariya, Halima and Fatima, are all senior executives at the group, and I can tell you for a fact that they are critical to the success of our business,? he said. (The Africa Report)

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