SMEs raise concern over Dangote’s absence at AU business forum

Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) have expressed concern over the absence of the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, at the African Union Business Forum.

The AU Business Forum is a platform for the promotion of the private sector and economy of the Continent’s Member States.

The Secretary General of All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (AAASME), Dr Ebiekure Jasper Eradiri quoted in a statement that Dangote has contributed immensely to the economic growth of African states.

According to the statement, “Dangote group is the leading employer of labour in the Sub-saharan Africa region.

“Available statistics have shown that the Dangote Group is contributing over 2.3% to the GDP growth of some African countries.

“Recently, the Dangote Refinery was commissioned in Lagos, Nigeria, and is considered a world-class facility.

It is important to describe the person of Alhaji Aliko Dangote as a dedicated and experienced businessman with a humble demeanour, having grown from a small to medium and now a large entrepreneur with continental as well as global spread.

However, there is a need to check closely if Dangote is a friend or foe of Africa’s SME Ecosystem.

“The African Union has visibly transformed from Political diplomacy to Economic diplomacy, with tangible proof in the birth of Agenda 2063, which is geared at a vision to achieve the Africa we want using various flagships such as the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA), the Africa SME Strategy Framework, the Africa Mining Vision, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as providing platforms for private sector engagements.

“This year 2023, the AU has held the AfCFTA Business Forum in April in Cape Town, South Africa; the 14th AU Africa Private Sector Forum in July in Nairobi; and in the coming days, the 2nd AU Annual SME Forum in September in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Now, the absence of the No. 1 private sector industrialist in Africa has been visible.

“The African Union engagement comprising SMEs and private sector businesses is still pondering over what could be the reason for the chosen absence or silence by the Dangote group over the economic development initiatives of the AU.

Today, we speak about Environment, social, and governance (ESG), amongst others, but how well does this sit with the Capitalist Dangote Group?

The Secretary General of the All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (AAASME), Dr Ebiekure Jasper Eradiri, recently challenged the Africa Business Council (AfBC), which is an umbrella for the continent’s private sector, to rally leaders of Africa’s private sector in the 5 regions to embrace the AU programme initiatives as well as the proposal for the Africa Private Sector Bill of Rights, which seeks to protect the Continent’s Private Sector and indeed the small and medium enterprise ecosystem.

A private sector Forum has been organised in Kigali, Rwanda, from August 16–17, 2023, to discuss this Bill of Rights.

“The presence of Dangote Group at any of the SME gatherings is sought after, noting his influential status and business prowess.

Dangote Group, with businesses dotted across the globe, will contribute in no small measure to the growth of SMEs in the region.

This may well be a clarion call for Aliko Dangote to steer his business Group towards being endeared by Africa’s over 80 million SME Ecosystem for the shared economic growth of the continent.