Nigeria: We Must Create Opportunities for More African Entrepreneurs Like Dangote - Govt

What the report says

The Nigerian federal government has called for policies that would make it easier for more African entrepreneurs to build large businesses like those created by Aliko Dangote, arguing that the continent should shift from consuming global wealth to producing and owning more of it. The remarks were made in Lagos at the closing of the 2026 Aliko Dangote Foundation Africa Diaspora Leadership Programme Young Global Leaders Convening, a four-day event themed “Building Africa at Scale.”

Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele said governments should focus on creating a stable environment for private investment, job creation and infrastructure development. He said Dangote’s industrial experience showed how difficult major investments can be, and suggested that better conditions could reduce the burden on entrepreneurs and encourage more people to follow the same path. Oyedele also said Africa faces external perceptions that add extra costs and barriers to doing business.

Other speakers at the event expanded on the same theme. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged young Africans to seek influence in decision-making, not just representation. Former Afreximbank president Benedict Oramah pointed to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as evidence that Africans can deliver complex projects at scale, while warning that the continent needs stronger manufacturing and financing systems. Rwanda Development Board chief executive Jean Guy Afrika emphasized predictable policy, accountable institutions and investable projects, and Culture Minister Hannatu Musawa said Africa should control its cultural story and use the creative economy to generate jobs. Dangote told participants that the continent’s main challenge is not a lack of ideas, but turning ambition into institutions and lasting value.