Aliko Dangote Appoints Daughters to Key Positions in Multi-billion Dollar Group

•Seals $400m deal with Chinese firm to speed up refinery expansion

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Abuja

The world’s richest black person, Aliko Dangote, has appointed her daughters to major positions in the multi-billion global business group, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

Halima Aliko Dangote was appointed Group Executive Director, Dangote Family Office & International Offices (Dubai & London).

Halima will continue to lead the establishment and maturation of the Dangote Family Office in Dubai, ensuring the full development of its governance framework, operating model, policies, and organisational structure.

In addition, she will assume full executive oversight of our Dubai and London offices, driving alignment with Group governance, operational excellence, cost discipline, and compliance across both locations.

In the same vein, her mandate includes strengthening, embedding world-class governance standards and ensuring seamless coordination across all functions supporting the  international activities of the group.

The appointment, THISDAY understood, reflects the company’s commitment to succession, sustainability, and stewardship, ensuring that the next generation of Dangote leadership strengthens the governance, discipline, and institutional capacity required to support our growing international footprint and the long-term maturity of the family office.

“Please join me in congratulating Halima as she steps confidently into this expanded role in service of our Group and the continent,” an unsigned note made available to THISDAY noted.

It added: “As we intensify our journey toward Vision 2030, our ambition to become a $100 billion enterprise by the end of the decade, we must continue to strengthen our leadership bench and empower a new generation to take on expanded responsibilities in shaping our future,” it added.

In this regard, the group announced the following executive appointments. Fatima Aliko Dangote was appointed Group Executive Director, Commercial Operations – Oil & Gas.

Fatima will provide commercial leadership across the group’s energy businesses, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP), Fertiliser, and the West African Exploration and Production Company Limited (WAEP) Upstream.

In addition, she will continue to oversee her Group’s wide responsibilities covering Corporate Communications, Administration & Facilities, and Group Procurement.

Besides, Mariya Aliko Dangote was appointed Group Executive Director, Commercial Operations Cement & Foods Businesses.

Mariya will lead the commercial strategy for the cement and foods operations across all markets. Her mandate includes deepening market reach, enhancing customer value, and driving operational excellence across both portfolios; fostering greater integration and growth across our consumer sectors.

“These appointments reflect our deep commitment to succession, sustainability, and stewardship, and to ensuring that the next generation of Dangote leadership is empowered to carry forward the legacy, while driving the innovation and scale needed for our Vision 2030 aspiration.

“Please join me in congratulating Mariya and Fatima as they step confidently into these expanded roles in service of our Group and the continent,” the note emphasised.

Meanwhile, the Dangote Group has signed a $400-million construction equipment agreement with XCMG Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., one of China’s leading manufacturers of construction machinery, in a move set to accelerate the expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day, positioning it to become the largest refinery in the world.

 The group announced this in a statement issued last night.  The statement said the agreement will enable the Group to acquire an additional wide range of advanced construction equipment to support ongoing and forthcoming projects across refining, petrochemicals, agriculture and large-scale infrastructure development.

The group added that the new equipment will complement existing assets deployed for the refinery expansion, which is expected to be completed within three years.

Beyond refining, the company noted that the expansion programme will see polypropylene production increase from 900,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 2.4 million.

It said Urea capacity in Nigeria will be tripled from 3 million to 9 million mtpa, in addition to the 3 million mtpa capacity in Ethiopia, strengthening the Group’s position as the largest urea producer globally.

The Dangote Group said production capacity for Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) will also be increased to 400,000 mtpa, positioning the Group as the largest producer in Africa and strengthening supply to the detergent and cleaning agents manufacturing industry.

It maintained that additional base oil production capacity also forms part of the broader expansion programme.

In the statement, the Group described the agreement with the Chinese firm as a strategic investment aimed at deepening its construction footprint and accelerating its ambition to build a $100 billion enterprise by 2030.

“The additional equipment we are acquiring under this partnership will significantly enhance execution across our projects. With this investment, we are positioning ourselves to become the number one construction company in the world,” the statement said.

Dangote Group is currently accelerating expansion and regional market development as it advances toward its long-term vision of building a $100 billion enterprise by 2030.