Vice President Kashim Shettima has lauded Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, describing him as “the greatest black man in the past 300 years.”
Shettima made the remark on Wednesday while speaking at the Taraba International Investment Summit (Taravest) held in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
The Vice President’s praise comes a day after Dangote was listed on TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy List, which recognises the world’s 100 most influential philanthropists shaping the future of giving. Dangote is the only Nigerian featured on the 2025 list, earning a spot in the Titans category alongside global icons like Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.
Aliko Dangote, the greatest black man in the past 300 years
-Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria#ChannelsTVNews pic.twitter.com/JsciIfeLm2
— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 21, 2025
“I want to celebrate the greatest black man in the last 300 years,” Shettima said, “who single-handedly established the largest single-train refinery in the world—refining 650,000 barrels of oil per day, accounting for 67% of Nigeria’s refining capacity, built on 2,635 hectares, bigger than Victoria Island, employing 135,000 Nigerians and training 900 engineers abroad.”
He further praised Dangote’s patriotism, noting the business mogul could have amassed greater wealth by investing in global tech giants, but instead chose to build in Nigeria.
“If he had invested the $19 billion it cost to build the Dangote Refinery into Microsoft, Amazon, or Google, he’d be worth $120 billion today,” Shettima stated. “But he chose to invest in his country. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, we are mightily proud of you.”
The Dangote Group, in a statement released Tuesday, described the TIME honour as a major recognition of its founder’s unwavering dedication to philanthropy and social development across Africa.
TIME Magazine highlighted Dangote’s $23.9 billion fortune built through cement, agriculture, and oil refining in Nigeria. His Aliko Dangote Foundation, endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, spends approximately $35 million annually on impactful programs across the continent.
Speaking on his foundation’s mission, Dangote said:
“Health, education, economic empowerment, disaster relief, and food—these are the five main things any African nation needs. We need to build the next generation of African leaders.”
The Vice President’s remarks and the TIME recognition further cement Dangote’s status as a symbol of African excellence in both business and philanthropy.
