Aliko Dangote, the President of the Dangote Group, has stepped down as Chairman and Director of Dangote Cement Plc, effective July 25, 2025.
The announcement was made in an official statement on Friday by the Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina.
According to the statement, Dangote is retiring from the board to devote greater attention to the $20 billion refinery, petrochemicals, fertiliser, and government relations operations, as part of efforts to advance the group’s five-year growth strategy.
“The board of Dangote Cement has, therefore, announced the appointment of an independent non-executive director, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.”
In addition, “Hajiya Mariya Aliko Dangote was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company while Prof. Dorothy Ufot retired from the Board,” the statement revealed.
Dangote was praised for his visionary leadership and transformative impact on the cement industry across Africa.
“His vision and tenacity redefined not just a company, but the entire cement industry landscape by becoming Africa’s largest cement producer and largest exporter of cement and clinker in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
His journey with cement was described as a bold mission to achieve self-sufficiency in Nigeria and Africa. “Aliko Dangote’s journey with cement began with a bold dream: to make Nigeria and Africa self-sufficient in cement production. Through strategic investments in state-of-the-art plants and a commitment to local content, he not only met that goal but exceeded it.”
Currently, Dangote Cement boasts a production capacity of 52.0 million metric tonnes per annum (Mta) across the continent, with Nigeria accounting for 35.25Mta. Greenfield plants under construction in Côte d’Ivoire (3.0Mta) and Itori, Nigeria (6.0Mta) are expected to raise total capacity to 61.0Mta upon completion.
The company also reported a significant boost in its financial performance. “Under his visionary leadership, Dangote Cement Plc recorded the highest revenue and Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation in the history of the company. According to the unaudited results for the six months ending 30th June 2025, the group revenue went up by 17.7 per cent, from N1.76tn at the same period in 2024 to N2.07tn, representing the highest revenue in the history of the company,” the statement added.
Newly appointed Chairman, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, expressed gratitude and commitment in his acceptance remarks. “I am truly honoured to accept the role of Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc,” he said, pledging to maintain top-tier leadership and dedication.
He described Dangote Cement as “a beacon of African enterprise, which has consistently demonstrated resilience, innovation, and a commitment to excellence.”
Ikazoboh brings extensive experience to the role, having previously served as Group Chairman of Ecobank Transnational Inc. He began his professional career at Akintola Williams Deloitte and later served as Managing Partner for Deloitte’s Francophone offices in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire. He was also the Managing Partner for West and Central Africa until 2009.
“In 2010, he was appointed by the Securities and Exchange as an Interim Administrator to carry out capital market reforms of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Central Securities Clearing System Plc,” the statement concluded.
