In a landmark shift, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and founder of Dangote Cement Plc, formally stepped down today as both Director and Chairman of the Board, effective July 25, 2025, according to an official statement from the company’s Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina .
Dangote’s decision to retire reflects his strategic pivot toward expanding his focus on the Group’s major initiatives: the Lagos Refinery, Petrochemicals, Fertilizer, and Government Relations—central pillars of Dangote Group’s five‑year growth vision .
Leadership Transition
Emmanuel Ikazoboh, an Independent Non‑Executive Director with over 40 years of pan‑African leadership experience—including senior roles at Deloitte and as former Group Chairman of Ecobank Transnational Inc.—has been appointed as the new Chairman of Dangote Cement’s Board.
In addition, Hajiya Mariya Aliko Dangote has joined the Board as a Director, while Professor Dorothy Ufot has retired from the Board.
Dangote Cement Today
Under Dangote’s leadership, the company has achieved extraordinary milestones:
A current production capacity of 52.0 million tonnes per annum (Mta) across Africa, with 35.25 Mta in Nigeria.
Greenfield plants under development in Côte d’Ivoire (3.0 Mta) and Itori, Ogun State (6.0 Mta) are set to elevate capacity to 61.0 Mta by year‑end.
Financial Highlights: H1 2025
- Group revenue surged by 17.7% year‑on‑year to ₦2.0716 trillion, the highest in company history.
- EBITDA grew 41.8% to ₦944.9 billion, with Nigeria operations up 82.4% to ₦845.4 billion.
- Profit before tax increased 149% to ₦730 billion; profit after tax soared 174.1% to ₦520.5 billion.
- Export volumes from Nigeria rose 18.2%, with 18 clinker shipments to Ghana and Cameroon.
- Dangote Group subsidiaries paid ₦402 billion in taxes in 2024, establishing it as Nigeria’s highest taxpayer.
Vision for the Future
In his acceptance remarks, Chairman Ikazoboh pledged to uphold excellence, pledging focus on operational efficiency, strategic expansion, sustainability, innovation, and community engagement. His priorities include cost‑reduction to mitigate inflation, accelerating alternative fuel adoption, and investing in staff welfare and development.
Chiejina lauded Aliko Dangote’s legacy: through his transformative leadership, Dangote Cement is now Africa’s largest cement producer and exporter, creating millions of jobs and reshaping the industrial fabric of the continent.
ANN Summary: The baton has passed—from the visionary founder to a seasoned new chairman—as Dangote Cement sets its sights on the next growth frontier under fresh leadership, while Aliko Dangote channels his energies into broader industrial ventures across energy and petrochemicals
