The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said having a son to inherit his business empire is not a priority, stressing that any of his three daughters is capable of leading the conglomerate.
Dangote made the remarks during an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, where he said he could see one of his daughters eventually taking charge of the group.
Asked whether he could see any of his daughters leading the conglomerate, 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.”
The Telegraph reports that Dangote’s daughters, Halima, Fatima and Mariya, hold senior positions within the conglomerate, with their roles expanding as the group develops its succession structure.
Dangote said his daughters’ involvement in the family business was driven by 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 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 whether 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 traditional expectations surrounding male heirs in Kano, Dangote said having a male child was not important to him.
“Sometimes you can pray for God to give you a son, but that son might be the one to bring down the name of the family.
“Sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push. I don’t think a son would have done something better than these three daughters that I have. That one, I think, you know, it’s not my priority,” he said.
Dangote said 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.
“So sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push,” he said.
However, Dangote stressed that 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 have 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.”
