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For his role as a leader in manufacturing and distribution trade, Aliko Dangote is voted first runner-up as Newswatch Man of the Year, 2011

When Aliko Dangote, president and chief executive officer of Dangote Group mounted the rostrum to receive the prestigious Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, GCON, from President Goodluck Jonathan at International Conference Centre, Abuja, on November 14, 2011, there was spontaneous clapping. The applause was instructive. It was a measure of the acceptability that the Kano-born business mogul, more than any other recipient of the awards, deserved the GCON which is the second highest after the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR. On record, Dangote is the first individual outside government to bag the GCON which is preserved for the Vice President, the Senate President, Chief Justice of the Federation and service chiefs among others.

To many Nigerians, there could never have been a better choice. Kola Jamodu, president Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, spoke the minds of many Nigerians on the eligibility of Dangote for the esteemed honour. “Our response to the decision of the Federal Government to confer the esteemed GCON honour on Dangote can only be positive, we believe the recognition is well deserved and we know that it is a signal that the government has its eyes on the real sector”.

The honour for Dangote, which  came in the last quarter of the year, was the icing on the cake of achievements recorded by Dangote in 2011 and which led to his nomination and eventual emergence as first runner-up Newswatch Man of the Year.

Before the state honour, Dangote had earlier in the year bagged several meritorious awards from reputable local and international organisations in recognition of his business and entrepreneurial exploits.

For instance, the African Business Magazine of London, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Business Council, had awarded him the African Business Leader of the Year 2011.  Dangote also won the African Entrepreneur of the Year and African Business Leader of the Year 2011 from the All Africa Business Leaders Award group. He was also bestowed with the Honorary Doctorate Degree from Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Dangote has had a long record of achievements and had won uncountable number of awards in the past. But 2011 stands out as a year the federal government truly acknowledged his importance and contributions to the country’s development.

His appointment into the 29- man National Economic Management Team set up by the Federal Government to fast-track the achievement of the economic vision of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was lauded by many Nigerians as the fruits of his huge investment in the economy and his reputation as one of the highest employers of labour in Nigeria.

Dangote’s business empire also experienced immense growth in 2011. On Monday, September 19, 2011, his Group signed a $115 million Investment Agreement with The Republic of Cameroun for the construction of a 1.5 million metric tonnes composite cement production plant in Douala, Cameroun.

Dangote’s projection is to import one million tonnes of clinker a year when the plant which is to be completed in 18 months begins production. “From our projections, this $115 million project with an installed capacity of 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum will take between 14 and 18 months to complete. We project that we will import one million tonnes of clinker per year, we hope to use up to 30 percent of local raw material in line with our business philosophy of adding value to the economy everywhere we operate”, he said.

In Nigeria, Dangote owns four cement plants. The group currently has the largest investment in cement in Nigeria. These are the Obajana Cement Plant in Kogi State, Benue Cement Company, Gboko, Benue State, and two cement plants in Ibese, Ogun State and Odukpani in Cross River State.

The deal in Cameroon is one of the many investments in cement the Dangote Group has outside the shores of Nigeria. In April 2008, the industrialist acquired 45 percent stake in Sephaku Cement, a South African firm, for three billion Rand (N44.75 billion). The deal with the South African cement company came on the heels of an earlier deal in February 2008 in China. The deal is worth $1.2 billion and it is with China’s Sinoma International to build cement plants in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equitorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia. Dangote also has two cement plants in Ghana.

During the year, Dangote also distinguished himself in the area of corporate social responsibilty using his foundation which he set up in 1993 as a vehicle to impact on the lives of people. In 2011 alone, his foundation spent N15 billion in donations as part of its corporate social responsibility. Some of the donations included N10 billion to Bank of Industries, N2 billion to support the housing sector in the country, N364 million to assist persons displaced by the April post –election crisis in Kaduna, Gombe and Bauchi states, N600 million to the Kano State Poverty Reduction Trust Fund and financial supports to Bayero University, Kano; Otuoke University, Bayelsa; University of Port Harcourt, Crescent University, Abeokuta, and Ubayyu Bin Ka’Ab Islamiyya School, Kano.

In recognition of these achievements, Dangote also got  listed in the Forbes Magazine as one of the top entrepreneurs and richest men in the world. He  seats atop Dangote Industries Limited, a conglomerate with interests across a range of sectors in Nigeria and across Africa. With an annual turnover of three billion dollars, the core business interest of the group include production and distribution of cement, sugar, salt, flour, fruit juice, pasta, real estate, oil and gas, fertliser, telecoms and steel. There are 13 subsidiaries in the group, and together, they employ over 20,000 workers.

 Its core business focus is to provide local, value-added products and services that meet the basic needs of the populace. Its current business interest include cement, sugar, salt, pasta, beverages, real estate, port operations, poly products, haulage services and packaging with an eye on oil and gas, steel and telecommunications.

Dangote recently disclosed that his group’s investment in cement and fertiliser would  hit $9 billion with Nigeria alone accounting for $6 billion and the remaining $3 billion spread to other West African countries.

His foray into the business frontiers of Africa easily makes him a merchant of repute who cannot be taken for granted. Dangote may be described as a shrewd businessman and a consummate entrepreneur. He has dominated many business sectors, bought over and turned around several  ailing companies and corporations into profit making ventures.

 The Dangote Group started business as a small trading firm in 1977.  He has also diversified into shipping, energy development, solid minerals, steel, banking, land transportation and property. Dangote is running the conglomerate so efficiently that his chains of companies like Dangote Salt, Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Flour Mills and many others within the group have become beautiful brides sought after in the stock market.

Some of the corporate entities that he acquired and restructured into profit making ventures include Benue Cement Company of Gboko, Savannah Sugar in Numan, Adamawa State, and Calabar Cement Company.

Today, his 950 million dollars state-of -art Obajana Cement factory which was commissioned in 2007 remains the largest indigenous and private sector driven cement company in Nigeria.

Dangote Cement PLC, one of the Group’s four listed companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, is the only Nigerian company listed on the Forbes’ Global 2000 companies. It is also currently the biggest quoted company in West Africa according to a survey by London- based IC Publications, publishers of Africa Business Magazine.

Just as Dangote dominates the cement market, he equally leads in sugar business in Nigeria. He began with the acquisition of 75 percent equity in Savannah Sugar Company in Numan, Adamawa State, at a cost of N1.35 billion in 2003. As at 2007, he had invested five billion Naira to turn around the hitherto ailing company. Today the sugar firm is not only one of the major manufacturers of sugar but is making profit.  The Group which boasts of the largest sugar refinery in Africa has set for itself the target to produce one million metric tonnes of sugar per annum while employing 50,000 people by year 2015 to meet 70 percent of Nigeria’s sugar demand from local production.

Dangote’s investment in consumables has also made his conglomerate a market leader in salt, rice, spaghetti and macaroni. The Dangote Salt Refinery is reputed to be the largest of such enterprises in Nigeria with a production capacity of 400,000 tonnes daily.

At 53, Dangote has made tremendous contributions to the growth of the Nigerian economy, Dangote Group is today a testimony of successful and rewarding private entrepreneurship.

For his leading role in the business which has given hope to thousands of Nigerians through employment and business opportunities, and his achievements and accolades last year, it was not a difficult task for the editorial board of Newswatch to pick him as first runner-up, Newswatch Man of the Year.