Aliko Dangote stated that although he comes from a wealthy lineage, he did not inherit money from his father and instead built his fortune from scratch.
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has declared that he did not inherit his wealth from his father but rather built it “from scratch,” despite his affluent family background.
In a recent interview, Dangote acknowledged that both his paternal and maternal families were well-off—his great-grandfather was among West Africa’s richest in the 1940s, and his grandfather one of Nigeria’s wealthiest. He also noted that his father was “fairly rich” and involved in both business and politics.
“But one thing that I’m very, very proud of is that I did not inherit any money from my father. I built everything from scratch to where I am.” Dangote emphasised that any assets inherited from his late father were donated to charity.
He recounted starting modestly in business by buying and selling cement after working briefly with his uncle. Motivated by Africa’s infrastructure deficit, he ventured into cement production to reduce reliance on imports, particularly in Nigeria where the housing shortfall is estimated at around 17,000 units.