Ahmad
Muhammad Danyaro
“The prosperity of a nation does not depend on the abundance of its resources or fortification of its cities but on the number of cultivated citizens”- Martin Luther King.
No one doubts, personality is no substitute for intellect, not only simplicity, but leader’s intellect alone is useless without a personality. It is in this light that I bring you one of the greatest African entrepreneurs of present world Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON who turned 60 years on Monday, April 10, 2017. He is a model entrepreneur who embodies the virtue of handwork, enterprise and faith on the African soil.
The journey through life is often one that carries with it a very strong desire for self-fulfillment of one’s dreams, desires, aspirations or even goals. Sometimes, this manifest in celebrations over accomplishments or bowed heads over dashed hopes. However, for Dangote, these past 60 years have not only been very eventful, but have also been characterized by extra-ordinary accomplishments to which, he says, he owes all to Almighty Allah. Thus, on April 10, 2017 it was time for the great African investor to reflect on his 60 years of service to humanity and Africa.
Dangote is a great African entrepreneur and investor with immense connections and local/international network which cuts across several barriers; racial, ethnic, religious, and of course language. He is a generous philanthropist, donating millions to needy Nigerians. The business mogul donated over a billion to victims of Boko Haram insurgency and IDP camps.
In May 2013, Dangote announced plans to build a $9billion oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Nigeria. The project which has reached advanced stage will be Africa’s largest petroleum refinery and one of the world largest petrochemical complexes.
The petrochemical complex includes a 1.2 million mtpa polypropylene and polyyethylene plant (which is 10 times the size of the existing facility at Eleme petrochemicals) and a combined capacity of 2.8M mtpa urea and ammonia fertilizer plant, the largest in the world. Given the huge contribution of agriculture to GDP (more than oil), it is important for the country to produce its own fertilizer. It is envisaged that when completed in 2018, the refinery will create jobs for thousands of Nigerians, end the nation’s dependence on petroleum products imports, turn the country into net exporter of petroleum products, generate more than $6billion foreign exchange for the nation and have a massive multiplier effects on the Nigerian and regional economies.
Dangote was born in Kano, the commercial nerve of northern Nigeria on April 10, 1957 into a wealthy Muslim family. His mother, Hajiya Mariya Sanusi Dantata, was the granddaughter of legendary Hausa businessman, Alhassan Dantata, and his father was Dantata’s business associate. Young Dangote had an early interest in business: “I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweet (candies) and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time,” he said during an interview. He attended the Al-Azhar University Cairo, Egypt where he studied business, and later returned back to Nigeria to work with his uncle, Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata, who eventually gave him a business loan of N500,000 when Aliko was just 21 years.
The Dangote Group, originally a small trading firm founded in 1977, is now a multi-trillion naira conglomerate with presence in eighteen African countries and this number is expected to grow in no distant future. In 2015, six new cement plants commenced full operations (Tanzania, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia) while 12 MOUs for total contract sum of over US$4billion were signed.
Shortly before he was rated the richest man in African, a reporter referred to him as richest in the course of their meeting but he quickly said “I think I have to be rated by Forbes magazine first before I can be (called) the richest man in Africa, but you know, I’m comfortable.”
The life of Aliko Dangote, a model for young African entrepreneurs, is filled with lessons of patience, focus, persistence, consistence, commitment, entrepreneurial competency, business networks, entrepreneurial team, and extra-ordinary business growth in Africa. He always challenged young entrepreneurs to be very focused, steadfast and pursue whatever dream they have with utmost tenacity, as they are the nations‘s future leaders. Dangote further stated that determination and being focused, with prayers are the key ingredients needed for youths to attain their desired goals.
Also speaking at a reception for Dangote Academy Trainees, he said it is important for the youth to think of how to contribute positively to the growth and development of the nation as Nigeria remains a place to invest in the world. The President of Dangote Group in his advice to the youths dared them “to think –out-of the box” as they strive to become more proficient in their careers. The future belongs to those who are innovative in their thinking, he said.
There is perhaps no better way to drive this point home than to cite the example of Mark Zukerberg, owner of facebook, a youth who is the 52nd richest person in the world. In total agreement with Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former President of United States, Dangote said: “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future”.
By any benchmark one deploys to assess him, and in whatever clime in our firmament of the planet earth, Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s six decades on earth is a stunning success, a unique gift to Nigeria and Africa and he deserves to be celebrated by all and sundry within the world of entrepreneurship.
Giant strides made by man are usually relived with pomp and pageantry. While some roll out the milestone amidst glass clinging, some play the breakthrough low but all in praises and in anticipation of better future. In this momentous instance, the success story always overshadows the nauseating hurdles and barricades accompanying such feats.
Naturally, some people excel in various ways of life, they standout in anything they venture into, they are shining light, they shape their environment and their world. Such individuals of unique achievements are celebrated everywhere, an action which encourages them to self-re-generating, serving as an impetus to inspire the younger generation. Indeed, in this epoch when youth are in search of models Aliko Dangote is one.
Danyaro is the principal partner/CEO Bizklan Business Solutions and can be reach at [email protected].
