Alhaji Aliko Dangote has stated that 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 made this remark in a Tuesday interview with ARISE News, saying he thought one of his daughters might one day head the conglomerate.
When asked if he could picture one of his daughters running the group, Dangote replied, “I think, yes, I can see one of them. I have been observing all of them, so I can certainly see one of the three who could truly lead.
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.
The billionaire and Africa’s richest man 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.
Dangote 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.”
Speaking on if he believed all three daughters were capable of achieving this, Dangote replied, “All of them.”
Speaking 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.
“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.
He mentioned 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.
“So sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push,” he said.
He also said, “Even if I had a son, I don’t think the son would have done better than these three daughters that I have.”
Nevertheless, Dangote explained that his wider succession strategy was not merely about handing over control of the conglomerate to a relative but about making sure the company was run professionally.
“I want this company to be run professionally. I want to have the highest level of governance,” he said.
He noted that global companies such as Microsoft and Apple are 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 business mogul said his ultimate legacy was to contribute to the industrialization of Africa.
“What I want to leave as a legacy is to industrialize 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.”
