By Sheka Tarawalie, Freetown.
President Ernest Bai Koroma will be hosting West Africa’s richest man on Sunday 6th and Monday 7th April 2008. The special guest, Nigerian-born business tycoon Alhaji Aliko Dangote(photo), is coming to explore the possibility of investing in Sierra Leone, while Sierra Leonean businessmen would have an opportunity to learn from him.
There will be a dinner hosted by the President in honour of Alhaji Dangote on Sunday evening at the Country Lodge in Freetown.
Aliko Dangote, who hails from Kano, Northern Nigeria, is the owner of the Dangote Group, with large operations in Nigeria and other countries in West Africa has a current net worth of about three billion US dollars ( US$ 3.3 billion), making him the second richest black person in the world after Ethiopian-born Mohammed Al Amoudi who is worth 9 billion dollars.
Dangote controls much of Nigeria’s commodities trade. The Group’s interests are diverse, the most significant of which are the manufacture of fast-moving consumer goods like sugar, flour, salt and spaghetti/macaroni. It has also made huge investments in the Nigerian cement industry. Other interests include commercial real estate complexes and a fleet of over 1,500 trucks. Furthermore, the Group has ventured into telecommunications as well as fertilizer processing.
The Dangote Group has established a philanthropic organisation called the Dangote Foundation, dedicated to providing assistance to less-privileged Nigerians in the areas of education, health, water supply, sports, and poverty alleviation generally.
In recognition of his achievements and philanthropy, Aliko Dangote has been conferred with many awards, including but not limited to the Zik Award for Excellence, Officer of the Order of the Niger, Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science, Entrepreneur of the Year, CEO of the Year, and Corporate Citizen of the Year.
Meanwhile, President Koroma and entourage left Freetown Thursday afternoon for Kenema to make his first visit to the eastern region headquarters after his election as President of Sierra Leone. He will meet with paramount chiefs, community elders, and the local people to thank them for reposing confidence in him to run the country.
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