Having a male heir not my priority, says Dangote

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote. Photo: Arise News

The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said having a son to inherit his business empire is not a priority, stressing that his three daughters are capable of taking over the Dangote Group.

Dangote stated this during an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, where he said he believed one of his daughters could eventually lead the conglomerate.

Asked whether he could see one of his daughters taking charge of the group, 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.

PUNCH Online reports that Dangote’s daughters, Halima, Fatima and Mariya, hold senior positions within the conglomerate, with their roles expanding as the group continues to develop its succession structure.

Dangote said their involvement in the family business was based on their personal interest rather than 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.

The billionaire and Africa’s richest man said he believed his daughters could surpass his achievements and 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 if he believed all three daughters were capable of achieving this, Dangote replied, “All of them.”

On whether he still hoped to have a son, particularly given the traditional expectations surrounding male heirs in Kano, Dangote said it was not important to him.

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“That one, I think, you know, it’s not my priority,” he said.

Dangote added that having a male heir did not necessarily guarantee the preservation of a family legacy.

“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.”

He further said, “Even if I had a son, I don’t think the son would have done better than these three daughters that I have.”

However, Dangote said his broader succession plan was not simply about transferring control of the conglomerate to a family member, but ensuring that the company was professionally managed.

“I want this company to be run professionally. I want to have the highest level of governance,” he said.

He cited global companies such as Microsoft and Apple as examples of businesses that had continued to thrive beyond their founders.

“We want to make sure that we make it very difficult for any family member to come and destroy anything,” Dangote said.

The businessman said his ultimate legacy was to contribute to the industrialisation of Africa.

“What I want to leave as a legacy is to industrialise Africa,” he said.

“I cannot do it alone, but I’m 100% sure that in the next two or three years, other Africans will join.”