Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, worth an estimated $28.5 billion as of July 2025, is steadily pulling back from direct boardroom activities in his industrial empire.

The 68-year-old recently retired from the boards of Dangote Sugar Refinery and Dangote Cement, his flagship business.

Mariya joins Dangote Cement boardroom team

This move signals a deliberate succession plan—and his daughters are taking centre stage.

Mariya Dangote, the eldest daughter, recently joined the board of Dangote Cement, Nigeria’s third-most valuable company.

Her appointment was described by the company as part of its long-term agility and value creation strategy.

Already an executive director at Dangote Sugar since 2022, Mariya oversees operations and digital transformation, having worked across risk, strategy, and planning since joining the group in 2016.

A Coventry University MBA graduate, she also sits on the board of Dangote Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria, underlining her cross-sector influence within the group.

Halima leads across cement, sugar, and NASCON

Halima Dangote, perhaps the most prominent of the three, was appointed to the Dangote Cement board in 2022.

She has served as a group executive director at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) since 2019 and previously turned around Dangote Flour Mills, leading to its acquisition by Olam Group.

According to The Africa Report, between 2014 and 2016, Halima held an executive role at NASCON Allied Industries, and she remains on its board.

Notably, she now runs the Dangote Family Office in Dubai, managing the family’s global interests and philanthropic strategies through the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

Fatima oversees commercial strategy at DIL

Fatima, the youngest, serves as group executive director for commercial operations at DIL. Her role spans procurement, communications, and group-wide commercial operations.

Since joining the group in 2016, she has led key units and strategic initiatives, including logistics and marketing at NASCON.

She is a vocal advocate for local production, particularly in the sugar sector, emphasising the company’s backwards integration strategy.

Fatima is also a board member of NASCON and an active face at the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

Dangote refocuses on refinery, energy drive While scaling back his role in cement and sugar, Aliko Dangote is doubling down on industrial projects.

The group has launched a $2.5 billion fertiliser plant and commissioned a massive oil refinery in 2024. He has promised to increase refining capacity to 700,000 barrels per day and to expand fertiliser output by 2028.

Plans are also underway for Nigeria’s largest deep-sea port, expected to serve as an export hub for LNG, refined products, and agro-industrial goods.

Global expansion includes the new Ethiopia deal Outside Nigeria, the Dangote Group is looking east.

A new $3 billion fertiliser plant agreement has been signed with Ethiopia, targeting Gode in the Somali Region.

This aligns with Dangote’s strategy to export industrial capabilities while anchoring its growth in local partnerships.

Father credits daughters’ role in success

At a Lagos event in 2019, Dangote paid tribute to the women behind his empire. Inspired by his mother’s business acumen, he acknowledged the contributions of his daughters.

“Mariya, Halima and Fatima are critical to the success of our business,” he said, cementing the family’s continued grip on one of Africa’s biggest industrial empires.