A liko Dangote is a Nigerian business magnate and philanthropist who is the founder, chairman, and CEO of the Dangote Group, the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa. For over a decade, he has held the title of the richest person in Africa. Born into a wealthy merchant family, Dangote started his own business in 1977 with a loan from his uncle, initially trading commodities like sugar, cement, and rice.

He made a strategic and transformative shift from trading to manufacturing in the late 1990s, building plants to produce the same goods he had been importing. This move laid the foundation for his industrial empire. His flagship company, Dangote Cement, is the largest cement producer in Africa, with operations across the continent. He also has major businesses in sugar, salt, flour, and fertilizers. His most ambitious project to date is the recently completed Dangote Refinery, one of the largest single-train oil refineries in the world, which aims to make Nigeria self-sufficient in petroleum products.