Vice President Kashim Shettima has praised Africa’s wealthiest individual and Dangote Group founder, Aliko Dangote, referring to him as the “greatest black man in the last 300 years.”
Shettima made the remark while addressing participants at the Taraba International Investment Summit, known as Taravest, held in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, on Wednesday.
Dangote had recently been named in TIME Magazine’s first-ever TIME100 Philanthropy list, which honours 100 influential individuals from 28 countries across four categories—Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators—who are reshaping global philanthropy.
He is the only Nigerian included on the 2025 list.
In his speech, the Vice President said, “I want to celebrate the greatest black man in the last 300 years, who single-handedly established the largest single train refinery in the world with the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of oil per day, 67 percent of Nigeria’s refining capacity, occupying 2,635 hectares, larger that Victoria Island, employing 135,000 Nigerians and training 900 engineers abroad.”
Shettima also applauded Dangote’s commitment to national development through his investment in the refinery.
He said, “He started this project in 2007,2008. If he had invested the $19 billion that it took him to set up the Dangote Refinery in Microsoft, in Amazon, in Google, he is going to be worth $120 billion now.
“But he decided to invest in his own country. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, we are mightily proud of you,” he added.
Dangote was listed among 23 global figures under the “Titans” category alongside other renowned philanthropists like Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.
TIME lauded Dangote for both his entrepreneurial accomplishments and his substantial philanthropic efforts.
It stated, “Business magnate Aliko Dangote, founder, president, and CEO of the Dangote Group, built a net worth of $23.9 billion through cement, agriculture, and oil refining operations in Nigeria.
“His Aliko Dangote Foundation, which he endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, aims to give back to the continent that facilitated his success, spending an average of $35 million a year on programmes across Africa.”
Speaking about the foundation’s mission, Dangote said, “Health, education, economic empowerment, disaster relief, and food—these are the five main things that any African nation needs.
“We need to create the next generation of African leaders. Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success.”
The Dangote Group, in a statement released Tuesday, described the TIME listing as a significant recognition of Dangote’s long-term dedication to philanthropy and social advancement.
What you should know
Aliko Dangote is Africa’s richest man and the only Nigerian featured on TIME’s 2025 Philanthropy list.
He was recognized for his $1.25 billion-endowed foundation and for building the world’s largest single-train oil refinery, a patriotic move praised by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
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