Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote begin quiet exit, hands over empire to his daughters

Mariya, Halima and Fatima, the three daughters of Aliko Dangote, Nigeria’s most prominent businessman and Africa’s richest man, have now become increasingly involved in their dad’s business empire -a move seen as both a succession plan and a commitment to family legacy.

Aliko, estimated by Bloomberg to be worth $28.5bn as of

28 July, has quietly begun stepping back from boardroom duties. The 68-year-old businessman resigned from the board of Dangote Sugar Refinery. Last Friday, he also stepped down as chairman of Dangote Cement, the flagship of his conglomerate, before the launch of his $20bn oil refinery.

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”.

Mariya became executive director of operations at Dangote Sugar Refinery in 2022. 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. 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 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.

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 Dangote, the youngest of the three, is group executive director for commercial operations at DIL She has sat on the board of NASCON Allied Industries since 2023 and previously served as executive director from 2016. She is also closely involved with the Aliko Dangote Foundation and regularly appears alongside her father at public events.