Feature/OPED
Beyond Profit: How Dangote Group Is Redefining the Soul of African Business
By Abiodun Alade
When Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, speaks about business, the world often expects to hear numbers — billions invested, factories built, or jobs created.
But when he recalls the lesson that guides his empire, it is disarmingly simple, “The soul of business is not in making more money, but in making people happy.”
That singular belief has quietly defined one of the most remarkable corporate success stories on the continent.
At a time when global capitalism is often measured purely by profit margins and shareholder value, the Dangote Group has built its legacy on a different foundation — human impact.
Across cement plants, fertiliser fields, sugar refineries, and now Africa’s largest oil refinery, the Group has pursued a bold mission: to turn enterprise into empowerment, and to make prosperity a collective experience, not a private privilege.
Building Industries That Empower Nations
The Dangote Group’s footprint today stretches across multiple strategic sectors, including cement, sugar, salt, fertiliser, and petroleum refining, employing tens of thousands of people across Africa. But beyond its industrial scale lies a consistent thread, which is, every investment is designed to solve a real problem and improve everyday life.
Before the rise of Dangote Cement, many African nations, including Nigeria, relied heavily on imported cement. Prices were unstable, and local infrastructure projects often stalled. Dangote’s entry changed that equation. By establishing world-class cement plants across the continent, the Group not only reduced import dependence but also made housing and construction more affordable, directly supporting millions of builders, traders, and transporters.
Similarly, the Dangote Fertiliser Plant, the largest in Africa, is transforming agriculture by boosting yields, reducing the high cost of imported fertiliser, and promoting food security. It has enabled farmers to earn higher incomes and has strengthened Nigeria’s capacity for sustainable agricultural growth.
Now, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, a $20 billion facility in Lagos’ Lekki Free Zone, is rewriting the story of Africa’s energy independence. For decades, Nigeria exported crude oil only to import refined petrol at immense cost. Dangote’s refinery is changing that narrative, ensuring that Africans benefit directly from their own resources. The plant is expected to save billions in foreign exchange, stabilise domestic fuel supply, and create more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
These are not abstract statistics; they represent real lives transformed — proof that business, when done with purpose, can become an instrument of national and regional development.
Putting People Before Profit
Within the Dangote Group, this people-first philosophy runs deep. The company’s approach to human capital development is built on continuous training, workplace safety, and professional growth. From truck drivers and plant technicians to engineers and senior managers, every employee is viewed as a partner in progress.
This commitment extends beyond the factory gates through the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF). Dangote is quietly building one of the continent’s most impactful philanthropic legacies through the ADF — a charity that now rivals global development agencies in scale and reach.
Founded in 1994, the Foundation has grown into sub-Saharan Africa’s largest private philanthropic organisation, focusing on health, nutrition, education, and economic empowerment. Its mission is simple yet ambitious: to lift millions out of poverty and improve the quality of life across the continent.
Over the years, ADF has been at the centre of some of Africa’s most ambitious health campaigns. In partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it has supported polio eradication and routine immunisation programmes in northern Nigeria, Chad and Niger Republic. It has renovated hospitals, built new health centres in Yobe and Kano States, and installed more than 200 solar-powered boreholes to provide safe water for rural communities.
The Foundation’s $100 million Integrated Nutrition Programme targets over one million malnourished children across Nigeria through fortified foods, community nutrition campaigns, and the production of ready-to-use therapeutic foods. It also runs large-scale feeding schemes serving thousands daily in Kano and Lagos. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ADF co-led the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), mobilising billions of naira in private-sector support to strengthen testing, equip isolation centres, and provide relief to millions of households.
Education has been another major pillar. The Foundation funded the N1.2 billion Dangote Business School at Bayero University, Kano, and donated modern hostels to universities in Zaria, Kano, and Ibadan. It has also built and renovated primary and secondary school blocks across Lagos and Edo States, improving access for thousands of pupils.
In economic empowerment, ADF’s Micro-Grant Programme has provided over N3.9 billion to nearly 553,000 women and youths in 11 states, offering small seed capital to boost rural enterprise.
ADF has also delivered large-scale humanitarian relief in crisis zones. In Borno State, it built the Dangote Village — 200 fully furnished houses for internally displaced families, with schools, clinics, and cash grants for widows. Over N7 billion has gone into supporting victims of insurgency and communal violence across northern Nigeria, alongside N500 million in relief for traders affected by market fires in Kano.
In one of its most impactful humanitarian efforts, the ADF has consistently distributed one million bags of rice annually to vulnerable households across Nigeria — a gesture that underscores its deep-rooted empathy for ordinary citizens.
Beyond Nigeria, ADF’s philanthropy stretches across borders. It has funded health and education initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Sudan, Niger, and Nepal, and partnered with international institutions such as the Africa Center in New York, the Obama Foundation, and the SDG Center for Africa.
For the man who built Africa’s largest industrial empire, philanthropy is no side project — it is central to his idea of progress. The Foundation’s work has become a blueprint for how African wealth can drive African development, proving that the true measure of success lies not in profit, but in the power to uplift lives.
Global Recognition for African Philanthropy
It comes as no surprise that Aliko Dangote was the only Nigerian named in the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy List (2025) — a global recognition of the 100 most influential leaders shaping the future of giving.
According to TIME, Dangote spends an estimated $35 million annually (over N50 billion) on programmes across Africa, focusing on nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment.
Reflecting the Foundation’s mission, Dangote said his goal is to set Africans up for success by creating opportunities and nurturing the next generation of leaders.
“My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago,” he noted.
“I trust my three daughters will continue this legacy, just as they will continue to grow our business and impact.”
For Dangote, wealth is a tool for transformation, a means to uplift communities and catalyse change. He has often said he hopes to be remembered not merely as Africa’s wealthiest man, but as its most impactful philanthropist.
A Legacy Rooted in Values
The story of the Dangote Group is ultimately a story of purpose-driven capitalism, a proof that profitability and public good are not opposites, but partners. When a business creates opportunities, reduces hardship, and inspires confidence, its success becomes more enduring.
For Aliko Dangote, business is not a race to the top of the rich list but a journey toward a more prosperous and equitable society. The lesson from his grandfather still echoes through every plant, policy, and partnership — a reminder that the true measure of success lies not in how much one earns, but in how much one enables others to thrive.
Indeed, the soul of the Dangote Group lies not in counting its profits, but in making people happy — one industry, one community, and one generation at a time.
Abiodun, a communications specialist writes from Lagos
By Nafisat Damisa
Introduction
The proliferation of generative AI has transformed Nigeria’s cybercrime landscape, enabling deepfake fraud, automated social engineering, and AI-enhanced phishing at scale. In early 2024, scammers using AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating a company’s CFO defrauded a Hong Kong finance worker of $25.6 million. As similar threats emerge in Nigeria’s fintech sector, this article examines whether the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended 2024) is legally adequate, or whether Nigeria’s evidentiary and accountability frameworks are too weak to support effective prosecution of AI-driven cybercrime
Current Legal Landscape
Nigeria’s primary legal framework on preventing cybercrime is the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, amended in 2024 to address cryptocurrency transactions, cyberbullying and various forms of digital misconduct. Complementary frameworks include the National Information Technology Development Agency Act 2007, the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, and sectoral regulations such as the CBN’s Risk-Based Cybersecurity Framework. However, the majority of these frameworks were issued far before now, and emerging risks like AI-driven threats are not really being addressed. The Act nowhere mentions “artificial intelligence,” “algorithm,” or “autonomous system.” Notably, the National Artificial Intelligence Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2025, is currently pending before the Senate. If passed, it would establish a dedicated commission to coordinate AI strategy, research, and ethical deployment. However, the Bill in its present form focuses primarily on development and innovation promotion, with limited provisions on criminal liability, evidence handling, or enforcement against AI-facilitated cybercrime, leaving the core accountability and evidentiary gaps largely unaddressed.
AI as a Double-Edged Sword
AI paradoxically enables both defence and attack. Nigerian financial institutions deploy AI for real-time fraud detection and pattern recognition. Conversely, cybercriminals exploit generative AI for deepfake creation, automated credential stuffing, and convincing phishing tailored to Nigerian English and Pidgin. The same technology that powers fraud detection systems can be weaponised to evade them. Take justice delivery as an example, the Evidence Act 2011 (as amended 2023) admits computer-generated evidence under Section 84, but remains silent on AI’s capacity to seamlessly generate or alter electronic records, creating “doctored AI-generated evidence”. These and many more issues await Nigeria’s digital space in the coming years.
The Legal Gaps
There are multiple critical gaps that undermine AI governance. For this article, three are considered. First, no framework attributes criminal liability when an autonomous AI commits an offence. The question of whether the developer, user, or owner should bear criminal responsibility for the acts of an autonomous system remains entirely unanswered under Nigerian law, leaving prosecutors without a clear legal theory of culpability.
Second, Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 governs computer-generated evidence but does not address AI-generated outputs. The Act’s definition of “computer” excludes AI’s cognitive processing capabilities, creating a statutory blind spot where evidence produced by generative or autonomous systems falls outside the existing admissibility framework.
Third, Nigeria lacks any framework for mandatory AI-generated content labelling, impeding deepfake traceability. Computer-generated evidence under Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 remains admissible if unchallenged at trial, a dangerous precedent for AI evidence, as opposing parties may lack the technical capacity to mount any challenge at all.
Comparative Jurisdictions: Rich Laws, Tangible Results
Jurisdictions with advanced AI laws demonstrate clear outcomes. The EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) mandates transparency obligations, requiring synthetic content labelling and informing individuals when interacting with AI systems; non-compliance triggers significant penalties. The US Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2023 is a proposed Act that will require impact assessments for high-risk AI systems in housing, credit, and employment, with FTC enforcement and a public repository. China implemented mandatory measures for the Identification of AI-generated (Synthetic) content. These rules, mandated by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and others, require explicit (visible labels) and implicit (watermarks/metadata) identification for all AI-generated text, images, audio, video, and virtual scenes to ensure transparency, traceability, and combat disinformation. These laws contribute to measurable results: forensic traceability, expedited prosecution of deepfake fraud, and clear liability chains. Nigeria has none of these.
Hope or Illusion?
Without legislative intervention, AI’s promise against cybercrime remains an illusion. Nigeria requires the following to boost its hope:
- Amendment of the Cybercrimes Act to include AI-specific offences and mandatory content provenance standards;
- Revision of Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 to address AI-generated evidence credibility, not merely admissibility;
- Investment in digital forensic capabilities is currently hampered by inadequate enforcement, weak forensic capabilities, and a lack of specialised personnel; and
- A risk-based framework drawing from EU and US models.
- Review of both secondary and tertiary education curricula to address the knowledge gap in AI and prepare the next generation for the AI-driven future.
Conclusion
AI can help curb cybercrime in Nigeria, but only if legal capacity catches up with technical capability. The Cybercrimes Act 2024 amendments were a step forward, but they did not address AI accountability, algorithmic transparency, or evidentiary credibility. The pending National Artificial Intelligence Commission Bill, 2025, signals legislative awareness, but without substantive provisions on liability, evidence, and enforcement, it cannot fill the existing gaps. The effectiveness of existing frameworks remains a question. An optimistic but cautious path exists, but until Nigeria enacts AI-specific legislation, whether through amending the Cybercrimes Act, revising the Evidence Act, or strengthening the pending Bill, weak laws will remain unable to support strong technology.
Nafisat Damisa is a Legal Research Associate in Olives and Candles – Legal Practitioners. For further information, enquiries, or clarification, please contact Nafisat via: [email protected] or [email protected]
By Isah Kamisu Madachi
As of April 30, 2026, the crude price is said to have reached $125 in the global market. The all-time high price per barrel was recorded in 2008, when it surged to $147. It is obvious that the price is heading in that direction or even towards what experts have predicted — crude reaching a new all-time high of $150 in the near future if crude passages remain closed in the Middle East, which would ultimately come with several disproportionate challenges for businesses and households.
In Nigeria, what began as a mild adjustment in the price of gasoline and other refined crude products has not stopped anywhere until it reached N1,400 per litre of petrol at filling stations. When the price was surging, experts in energy, economics, marketing, business and other relevant fields tried to come up with explanations for how Nigeria, despite housing the largest petrochemicals refinery in Africa and being one of the largest oil-exporting countries on the continent, would continue to absorb this shock.
Despite our advantages, Nigeria recorded the world’s second-highest surge in petrol prices following the escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East. In Africa, Nigeria has the highest spike, with many sources citing it at 39.5% and above. Even non-oil-producing countries in Africa, and countries that do not refine a drop of oil, did not experience this surge. Also, African countries like South Africa at 1%, Morocco at 2.1%, and Tanzania at 2.7% experienced far smaller increases that are nowhere near Nigeria’s.
To put it in context, South Korea, Japan, and China are among the foremost dependents on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure escalated the crude price, but none of these countries has recorded even a 20% increase in their petrol prices. Nigeria does not import its crude through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet, as an oil-exporting nation, we have suffered some of the sharpest petrol price increases in Africa.
What went wrong in Nigeria to warrant this surge is not the primary focus of this piece. What lies ahead is. As a result of the increase in petrol prices, Nigerians have been disproportionately affected. Life has become unbearably difficult, with sharp increases in transportation costs, rising food prices, and higher costs of goods and services. Even charging points that used to collect N150 for charging a phone or battery now charge N300 or more.
As it stands, the gap between the current crude price and the predicted new all-time high is about $25. This means that if the passages continue to remain closed, we are not far from another historic price peak. It is even said that reopening the passages may not immediately stabilise prices, as crude tankers would still take time to reach their destinations.
What this means for Nigeria is another sharp increase in refined petroleum product prices, which could trigger another wave of stagflation. Already struggling, Nigerians do not deserve this. They are only just adapting to the post-subsidy era, yet are being hit again by another round of global geopolitical tensions. Many are already in deep energy poverty, with businesses struggling due to unstable electricity supply.
Therefore, as crude oil prices hover above $125 per barrel and threaten to reach the predicted $150 if disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz persist, Nigeria must act decisively to shield its citizens. The Dangote Refinery exists. Nigeria refines oil. What the federal government owes Nigerians at this point is a deliberate policy decision to make that the refinery serve domestic needs first, with pricing that does not mirror whatever is happening in the global market. That is not complicated; other oil-producing countries do exactly this.
The NMDPRA has the authority to act on this. The question is whether there is a political will to act before another price wave hits and Nigerians are once again left to absorb what their counterparts elsewhere never have to.
Sub-national governments also have something to do. Commercial motorcyclists and small business owners are the people who feel every petrol price increase the hardest and the fastest. Pushing CNG and LPG adoption among this group beyond the FCT and Lagos, with genuine support, would cushion a significant part of the next shock. Expanding solar access in underserved communities would do the same. A shop owner running on solar is not at the mercy of the next diesel price spike.
These solutions are quite feasible. Nigeria has attempted versions of them before. Where we often seem to get it wrong is in execution, and Nigeria has to treat this with the same urgency and seriousness as given to elections, for the well-being of its citizens. The only thing that has never matched the problem is the seriousness of the response.
Isah Kamisu Madachi is a policy analyst and development practitioner. He writes via [email protected]
By Gbolahan Oluyemi
In 2025, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) directed all Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs) to demand a Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC) from service providers before engaging their services. This new policy typically affects various types of entities, including small and medium-scale enterprises, most of which are not usually compliance-driven. Following this directive, the PCC has become an essential compliance document for both large, medium and small-scale firms. This article provides a guide on what a PCC is, why it matters, and how it can be obtained.
What is a Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC)?
A Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC) is an official document issued by PenCom confirming that an organisation has complied with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act. It is an annual document that must be renewed every year at no cost. The yearly renewal is intended to ensure that organisations treat compliance as a continuous activity rather than a one-off act.
Why is a PCC Important?
The PCC is important because it demonstrates that an organisation is compliant with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act, especially as it relates to employee pension contributions under Section 4 (1) of the Pension Reform Act and subscription to group life insurance under Section 4 (5) of the Pension Reform Act. It is also required for certain transactions, such as government contracts and engagements with compliance-sensitive partners. In essence, a PCC assures investors, partners, and clients that your business is properly structured and compliant with regulatory requirements.
Who Needs a Pension Clearance Certificate?
Under Nigerian law, companies with three or more employees are required to participate in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). If your organisation employs at least three staff members and provides or intends to provide services to Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs) or other regulated entities, you are expected to obtain a PCC annually.
How Do I Obtain a PCC?
PenCom issues the PCC electronically and at no cost through its web portal: https://pcc.pencom.gov.ng/. Please note that Applicants who are just beginning compliance and remitting employees’ pensions are required to first obtain an employer code from a Pension Fund Administrator (PFA). This code is necessary to initiate the PCC application on the PenCom portal.
Upon logging into the portal, you will be required to complete your company profile by providing your date of incorporation, contact details, and website (if applicable), as well as uploading your CAC documents.
Next, you will upload an Excel schedule (using the template provided on the website) containing your employee list. After this, you will be required to upload Excel sheets detailing pension contributions. You will also need to upload your organisation’s group life insurance documentation and payment instrument.
Finally, you will review your application and submit it for further processing by PenCom. Before commencing an application, ensure you have the following:
- Certificate of Incorporation (CAC documents)
- Group Life Insurance Policy for employees
- Evidence of Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) registration for employees
- Three years’ proof of monthly pension remittances, including penalties for any defaults (where applicable). For companies less than three years old, provide proof of remittances from the date of incorporation
- A valid Tax Identification Number (TIN)
- An employee schedule showing staff details and contributions (usually in Excel format) Templates are available on the PenCom portal
Also note that for the portal to accept employee details and remittance records, employees must have completed their data capture with their respective Pension Fund Administrator and updated their records to reflect their current employer.
Conclusion
Obtaining a Pension Clearance Certificate in Nigeria may seem technical at first, but once proper processes are established, it becomes routine. The key is consistency in remittance, maintenance of accurate records and prioritisation of compliance in overall operations.
For many Nigerian businesses, the PCC is more than a regulatory requirement; it is a mark of credibility. In a competitive environment, that credibility can make all the difference.
Gbolahan Oluyemi is a Legal Practitioner and currently leads Olives and Candles – Legal Practitioners. For further information, enquiries, or clarification, please contact Gbolahan via: [email protected] or [email protected]
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