Africa’s richest man and founder of Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote, has announced his retirement as a Director and the Chairman of the Board of Directors from July 25, 2025.
He is relinquishing his position as chairman and retiring from the board to focus more attention on the Refinery, Petrochemicals, Fertilizer and Government Relations.
The board of Dangote Cement Plc announced the appointment of Emmanuel Ikazoboh, an Independent Non-executive Director, as the new Chairman, Board of Directors.
Hajiya Mariya Aliko Dangote was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company while Prof. Dorothy Ufot retired from the Board.
Reputed as Africa’s leading investor, Aliko Dangote leaves giant footprints as he retires from the board.
His vision and tenacity redefined not just a company, but the entire cement industry landscape by becoming Africa’s largest cement producer and largest exporter of cement and clinker in sub-Saharan Africa.
Aliko Dangote’s journey with cement began with a bold dream: to make Nigeria and Africa self-sufficient in cement production.
Through strategic investments in state-of-the-art plants, and a commitment to local content, he not only met that goal but exceeded it.
Dangote Cement Plc has 52.0Mta capacity across African continent with Nigeria accounting for 35.25Mta. Currently, additional greenfield plants are coming up in Cote Ivoire (3.0Mta) and Itori, Nigeria (6.0 Mta) and on completion this year will push total capacity to 61.0Mta.
Under his leadership, Dangote Cement Plc recorded the highest revenue and Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) in the history of the company.
According to the unaudited results for the six months ending June 30, 2025, the group revenue went up by 17.7 percent, from N1,760 billion at the same period in 2024 to N2,071.6 billion, representing the highest revenue in the history of the company.
Ikazoboh, in his acceptance speech, said he is truly honored to accept the role of Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc while pledging to uphold the highest standards of leadership and dedication in this role.
He described the company as a beacon of African enterprise, which has consistently demonstrated resilience, innovation, and a commitment to excellence.
Giving an insight into what his tenure holds for the company, he said: “My vision for Dangote Cement Plc is built upon a foundation of sustainable growth, operational efficiency, and unwavering commitment to our core values.
“We will continue to focus on the following key priorities, Operational Excellence, Strategic Expansion, Sustainability, Innovation and Community Engagement.”
Ikazoboh was the Group Chairman of Ecobank Transnational Inc., the Pan-African banking group. He started his professional career at Akintola Williams Deloitte.
He first became the Managing Partner for francophone offices in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire and later became the Managing Partner of the Deloitte firm in West and Central Africa until 2009.
In 2010 he was appointed by the Securities and Exchange (SEC) as an Interim Administrator to carry out capital market reforms of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc.
