Africa needs both its Dangotes and its Musks

What the report says

Uganda Business News published an opinion piece arguing that Africa’s development strategy should not be framed as a choice between heavy industry and digital innovation. The article uses Aliko Dangote and Elon Musk as examples of two different but complementary kinds of entrepreneurship: one focused on factories, refineries and other industrial assets, the other on frontier technologies such as satellites, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

The piece says Dangote’s refinery in Nigeria illustrates the value of large-scale domestic production. According to the article, the refinery has reached full production capacity, helped Nigeria become a net exporter of petrol, reduced the country’s need to import fuel and may ease pressure on foreign exchange. It also notes Dangote’s plans to expand the refinery and broaden his regional industrial footprint, including potential projects in East Africa.

Musk is presented as a different model of business leadership, especially through Starlink’s spread across Africa. The article says satellite internet can improve connectivity in areas with weak infrastructure and support digital services, education and entrepreneurship. It also cautions that technology-led growth still needs regulation, local rules and safeguards.

More broadly, the opinion argues that Africa needs policy environments that support both kinds of investment, including reliable power, stable regulation and workable logistics. It says industrialisation and advanced technology can both contribute to structural transformation, job creation and higher-value production across the continent.