By Mary Hearty
Alika Dangote, one of the most generous and richest man in Africa has been feted in the Fortune Magazine. For the first time ever, Dangote has been featured in the multinational business magazine based in New York City, United States.
He was ranked number 11 out of the 50 World Greatest leaders for 2019. The magazine emphasized on businesses run by men and women and how they have used it to positively impact the society.
Dangote was nominated after being declared as having used business to acquire wealth and changing his wealth into impactful philanthropy through his foundation, Alika Dangote Foundation (ADF).
Among the distinguished people who was pleased by his ranking was global business giant and founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, who himself was ranked along with Dangote.
Gates lauded Dangote’s effort in making business play roles in provision of sound public health through his various interventions in health care issues especially in the fight against malnutrition and routine polio.
“Aliko Dangote through his leadership at the Aliko Foundation, is a key partner in the Polio eradication effort, strengthening routine immunization and fighting malnutrition in Nigeria and across Africa,” Gates said.
“Aliko bridges the gap between private business and public health in a unique way and our shared belief that Nigeria will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive drives our partnership.”
The ADF was mainly established to fight Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children. It has also committed to use its investments in health, education, and economic empowerment to help people in eradicating poverty.
Dangote through his Foundation has continuously disbursed N10 billion to vulnerable women across Nigeria.
Dangote increased his charity activities recently spending billions of Naira to build hospitals and critical hospital equipment, the lack of which has forced Nigerians to seek medical treatment abroad.
He also made a donation of N1.2 billion Business School complex to Bayero University in Kano and another one for the University of Ibadan Business School.
The businessman also made a donation of $2 million to the World Food Programme as part of efforts to support Pakistani nationals devastated by floods during the year 2010.
In addition, Bono, a global campaigner on taking action to end extreme poverty especially in Africa said: “Aliko has a vision just the size of his continent, but with humility of somebody who has just started his first job. It’s no surprise to me that Fortune would recognize his leadership because we have seen first-hand, through his service on ONE’s Board, the benefits of his wise counsel and grace.”
He has been named among most powerful persons in the world for the past five consecutive years.
According to the Forbe’s 2018 ranking of the World Powerful people, Dangote ranked among world leaders like Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, Vladimir Putin the Russian President and Donald Trump, the President of the US, all of whom were ranked first, second and third respectively.
He was the only Nigerian on the list and one of the only two Africans who made the list with the other being the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was ranked 45th most powerful.
In the same vein, he was named among the 100 most influential personalities in the world in 2018 by Time Magazine, leading business broadcast organization. The CNBC had earlier in same year ranked Dangote as one of the 25 people which have had most profound impact on business and finance worldwide.
In 2018, he was rated the most influential African by Jeune Afrique in their grouping of the most influential 50 Africans, and was also named the 6th most charitable person in the world in the same year according to Richtopia, a United Kingdom-based digital platform. Moreover, he is the richest African, according to Forbes.
According to the Fortune Magazine, people like Dangote make bold choices, take big risks and move others to do the same.