Aliko Dangote

Alhaji Aliko Dangote (born April 10, 1957), MFR, is a Nigerian businessman based in Nigeria. He is the owner of the Dangote Group, which has operations in his homeland and several other countries in Africa, including Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa and Zambia.[3] A wealthy supporter of erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo, he serves as a prominent financier of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). With an estimated current net worth of around US$13.8 billion as of 2011, he was ranked by Forbes as the richest Nigerian citizen, and 51st richest person in the world.[4] He is also simultaneously the richest person of African descent in the world, surpassing Mohammed Al Amoudi ($12.3 billion) and Oprah Winfrey ($2.7 billion.)[5]
Business career

The Dangote Group, originally a small trading firm founded in 1977, is now a multi-trillion naira conglomerate with operations in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. Dangote's businesses include food processing, cement manufacturing, and freight. The Dangote Group dominates the sugar market in Nigeria: it is the major sugar supplier to the country's soft drink companies, breweries, and confectioners. Dangote Group has moved from being a trading company to Nigeria's largest industrial group, including Dangote Sugar Refinery (the most capitalized company on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, valued at over US$3 billion with Aliko Dangote's equity topping US$2 billion), Africa's largest Cement Production Plant: Obajana Cement, Dangote Flour amongst others.

Dangote played a prominent role in the funding of Obasanjo’s re-election campaign in 2003, to which he contributed over N200 million (US$2M). He gave N50 million (US$0.5M) to the National Mosque under the aegis of "Friends of Obasanjo and Atiku", and contributed N200 million to the Presidential Library. These controversial gifts to members of the ruling People's Democratic Party have contributed to concerns over continued graft despite highly-publicized anti-corruption drives during Obasanjo's second term.[citation needed]

On 23 May 2010, England's Daily Mirror newspaper reported that Dangote was interested in buying a 16 percent stake in Premiership side Arsenal belonging to Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith.[6] Dangote later denied these rumours.[7]

On 14th November, 2011, he was awarded Nigeria's fourth highest honour, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by President Goodluck Jonathan.[8]