Tuesday, September 15, 2026 -The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said having a son to inherit his business empire is not a priority, stressing that his three daughters are capable of taking over the Dangote Group.
Dangote stated this during an interview with ARISE News on
Tuesday, where he said he believed one of his daughters could eventually lead
the conglomerate.
Asked whether he could see one of his daughters taking
charge of the group, Dangote said, “I think, yes, I can see one of them.”
“I’ve been watching all of them, so I can definitely see one
of the three that can actually lead,” he added.
Dangote’s daughters, Halima, Fatima and Mariya, hold senior
positions within the conglomerate, with their roles expanding as the group
continues to develop its succession structure.
Dangote said their involvement in the family business was
based on their personal interest rather than pressure from him.
“They are very, very interested in the business. I’m not
forcing them to come and be part of this business, no. They are very
interested, and they enjoy it,” he said.
The billionaire and Africa’s richest man said he believed
his daughters could surpass his achievements and take the company to a higher
level.
“One of them can be better than — I never expected to
perform this much,” he said.
“But I’m sure they’re highly educated, so they will be more
creative. So most likely, they might be even taking the company to the next
level.”
Asked if he believed all three daughters were capable of
achieving this, Dangote replied, “All of them.”
On whether he still hoped to have a son, particularly given
the traditional expectations surrounding male heirs in Kano, Dangote said it
was not important to him.
“That one, I think, you know, it’s not my priority,” he
said.
Dangote added that having a male heir did not necessarily
guarantee the preservation of a family legacy.
“God controls everything. And for me, really, sometimes,
yeah, you can pray for God to give you a son, but that son might be the one
that would tear down the name of the family,” he said.
“So sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t
push.”
He further said, “Even if I had a son, I don’t think the son
would have done better than these three daughters that I have.”
However, Dangote said his broader succession plan was not
simply about transferring control of the conglomerate to a family member, but
ensuring that the company was professionally managed.
“I want this company to be run professionally. I want to
have the highest level of governance,” he said.
He cited global companies such as Microsoft and Apple as
examples of businesses that had continued to thrive beyond their founders.
“We want to make sure that we make it very difficult for any
family member to come and destroy anything,” Dangote said.
The businessman said his ultimate legacy was to contribute
to the industrialisation of Africa.
“What I want to leave as a legacy is to industrialise
Africa,” he said.
“I cannot do it alone, but I’m 100% sure that in the next
two or three years, other Africans will join.”
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