Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has insisted that having a male heir to inherit his massive business empire is not a priority for him.
Speaking with ARISE News, Africa’s richest man said he could see one of his daughters eventually taking charge of the group, noting that he had been observing their involvement in the family business.
Asked whether he could see any of his daughters leading the conglomerate in the future, 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,” he added.
Dangote’s daughters, Halima, Fatima and Mariya, hold top positions within the Dangote Group, with their involvement in the family business being part of the succession structure.
The 69 year old businessmam said his daughters’ participation in the company was driven by their own interest in the business and was not the result of 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 had the education and capacity to build on what he had achieved and potentially 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 of his daughters were capable of taking the business forward, Dangote replied, “All of them.”
Dangote was asked whether he still hoped to have a son, particularly in view of traditional expectations surrounding male heirs in Kano.
Dangote said having a son was not a priority for him, arguing that the gender of an heir did not necessarily determine the future of a family or its legacy.
“That one, I think, you know, it’s not my priority,” he said.
“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,” he said.
“So sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push.”
Dangote said he was confident in the abilities of his three daughters, adding that having a male child would not necessarily mean the family business would perform better.
“Even if I had a son, I don’t think the son would have done better than these three daughters that I have,” he said.
However, he said his succession plans extended beyond determining which family member might eventually lead the conglomerate.
Dangote said his priority was to establish a professional management structure and strong corporate governance that would ensure the company remained sustainable regardless of who occupied leadership positions in the future.
“I want this company to be run professionally. I want to have the highest level of governance,” he said.
He cited multinational companies such as Microsoft and Apple as examples of businesses that had continued to operate and grow beyond the leadership of their founders.
Dangote, said the long-term survival of the Dangote Group should not rest on members of his family.
“We want to make sure that we make it very difficult for any family member to come and destroy anything,” he said.
He talked about the legacy he aspired to leave through his business activities, saying his ambition was to contribute to the industrialisation of Africa.
“What I want to leave as a legacy is to industrialise Africa,” Dangote said.
“I cannot do it alone, but I’m 100% sure that in the next two or three years, other Africans will join.”
