Aliko Dangote Biography: Age (69), Family, Dangote Group, the Refinery and Its 2026 IPO, Daughters and Net Worth 2026

Aliko Dangote has been Africa’s richest person for most of the past 15 years, and the refinery he built at Lekki has made him the most consequential private businessman in Nigeria’s economy. This profile sets out what is on the record about his family, his businesses and his wealth, and corrects the mistakes that fill many online biographies of him.

Aliko Dangote: Quick Facts

Family and Early Life

Aliko Dangote was born in Kano on 10 April 1957 into one of northern Nigeria’s best-known merchant families. His mother, Mariya, came from the Dantata family: her grandfather, Alhassan Abdullahi Dantata, was regarded as the richest man in West Africa when he died in 1955. His name, Aliko, was given by his maternal grandfather, Sanusi Dantata. His father, Mohammed Dangote, ran a transport business and died in 1965, when Aliko was eight.

He attended the Sheikh Ali Kumasi Madrasa and then Government College, Birnin Kudu, finishing in 1978. He went on to Al-Azhar University in Cairo, where he studied business studies and administration.

Three of his brothers have died: Bello in a 1996 plane crash, Garba after a stroke in 2013, and Sani after an illness.

Building the Dangote Group

Dangote started in 1977 with a loan from his uncle, trading sugar, salt and other food commodities in bulk. In 1981 he set up Dangote Nigeria Limited, and over the next two decades the trading house became a manufacturer of sugar, salt, flour and pasta. Dangote Sugar Refinery grew into one of the largest sugar producers in Africa.

Cement became the core of the group. After years of importing cement, Dangote moved into production around 1998 and took over the privatised Benue Cement Company at Gboko in 2000. The group’s plant at Obajana in Kogi State became the largest cement plant in sub-Saharan Africa, and Dangote Cement now operates across Africa, with plants in countries including Ghana, Benin and South Africa. The group also built a urea fertiliser plant in Lekki.

The Dangote Refinery

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery at Lekki, Lagos, is Africa’s largest. It was commissioned in 2023 and began operations in 2024. By September 2026 it was processing about 700,000 barrels of crude a day, exporting fuel and, according to the company, had become the largest supplier of jet fuel to Europe. The company plans to double capacity to 1.4 million barrels a day, which would make it the largest refinery in the world, with a $14.3 billion expansion targeted for completion in 2028–2029. In July 2026 the refinery raised $2.5 billion from private investors.

The refinery has also drawn criticism, including concerns that it could dominate Nigeria’s fuel supply and questions about the tax breaks it received.

The 2026 Refinery IPO

On 14 September 2026 Dangote sounded the gong at the Nigerian Exchange to open the refinery’s initial public offering: 4.1 billion shares at ₦525 each, a ₦2.15 trillion (about $1.6 billion) offer that was the biggest in Africa’s history, with a greenshoe option that could lift it to about $2.1 billion. The minimum purchase was 10 shares, and the offer valued the refinery at about $47 billion. It closed on 13 October 2026.

“It is not simply about listing a company,” Dangote said at the launch. “It is about listing a new possibility for Nigeria, and for Africa.” He said he wanted the refinery owned by millions of ordinary Africans.

Wealth: What Forbes and Bloomberg Say

Unlike most people profiled on NaijaSabi, Dangote’s wealth is tracked by the two big billionaire indexes, and they disagree:

• Forbes estimated his net worth at about $51 billion in 2026.
• Bloomberg Billionaires Index put it at about $35.5 billion on 21 September 2026.

The two indexes use different methods to value private companies. Either way he is the richest person in Africa: he regained the title in September 2024 after South Africa’s Johann Rupert briefly overtook him. For context, Forbes first listed him at $3.3 billion in 2008 and at $13.8 billion in 2011.

Marriages and Children

Dangote married his first wife, Zainab, in 1977, when he was 20; they had two daughters, Mariya and Halima, and later divorced. His second marriage, to Mariya Muhammad Rufai, produced a daughter, Fatima, and ended in divorce in 2017. He has three daughters, and some profiles also list an adopted son.

Philanthropy and Public Life

The Aliko Dangote Foundation is his main charity. It works with the Gates Foundation on public health, and it has funded responses to the 2014 Ebola outbreak (₦150 million), the Boko Haram insurgency ($10 million in 2016) and COVID-19 (₦200 million in 2020). He chairs the Nigeria End Malaria Council, set up in 2022.

He has worked with successive governments, sitting on President Goodluck Jonathan’s economic management team and advising on campaigns. In 2011 Jonathan made him a Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), the first person outside government to receive it. Time named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2014.

Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Aliko Dangote?

He is 69. He was born on 10 April 1957.

How much is Aliko Dangote worth?

Forbes estimated about $51 billion in 2026, and Bloomberg about $35.5 billion in September 2026. The two indexes use different valuation methods.

Is Dangote still the richest man in Africa?

Yes. Both Forbes and Bloomberg rank him first in Africa.

How big is the Dangote refinery?

It was processing about 700,000 barrels a day in September 2026, and the company plans to expand it to 1.4 million barrels a day.

Can I buy Dangote refinery shares?

The IPO ran from 14 September to 13 October 2026 at ₦525 a share. Once the shares trade on the Nigerian Exchange, they can be bought through a licensed stockbroker.

How many children does Dangote have?

Three daughters: Mariya, Halima and Fatima. Some profiles also list an adopted son.

Is Dangote related to Dantata?

Yes. His mother was a Dantata, and Alhassan Dantata was his great-grandfather.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: “Aliko Dangote” (family, education, businesses, honours, wealth history), accessed 9 November 2026
2. AFP via eNCA: “Nigeria’s Dangote refinery launches continent’s biggest IPO”, 14 September 2026
3. Daba Finance: “Dangote launches Africa’s biggest IPO with $1.6 billion share sale”, 14 September 2026

Last updated: 9 November 2026 · NaijaSabi Business Desk. This profile was rewritten to remove errors in an earlier version and to add the refinery IPO.