‘Africa doesn’t need charity. It needs bold leadership, visionary investment, and institutions that reflect the continent’s ambition. Africa must rise by its own hands, on its own terms.’—Aliko Dangote
By Cathy Maulidi In Abuja, Nigeria
President Lazarus Chakwera has invited the Dangote Group to explore trade opportunities in various sectors in Malawi.
Chakwera extended the invitation during a discussion with Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group.
“I shared with him an overview of Malawi’s economy and singled out opportunities for investment in agriculture, tourism, mining, and manufacturing,” Chakwera said after the meeting.
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The two have since established a direct point of contact to begin discussions on the modalities for the Dangote Group’s market entry into Malawi.
“During the interface, I applauded Mr. Dangote for believing in the potential of Africans by investing in strategic sectors across the continent,” Chakwera said.
“I learned from his sentiments that he is fully aware of how significant it is for African entrepreneurs to take the lead in investing on the continent in sectors that will expedite economic growth,” he added.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meeting.
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At the meeting, Dangote made a call to African leaders for action for Africa.
“If it’s America first, then it must be Africa first,” he said.
In his address, he challenged the continent to take charge of its own future by investing locally, creating jobs and ensuring that Africa’s wealth remains within its borders.
For Dangote, the path to making Africa great again begins with industrialisation and building regional value chains.
“Over-reliance on foreign capital is unsustainable. If I’m not investing at home, how can I expect anyone else to?” Dangote said.
He also announced plans to list his fertiliser and refinery businesses, reinforcing the need for transparency, competition, and African-led growth.
Dangote urged African nations to shift away from exporting raw materials and focus instead on processing and value addition.
He concluded by saying: “Africa doesn’t need charity. It needs bold leadership, visionary investment, and institutions that reflect the continent’s ambition. Africa must rise by its own hands, on its own terms.”
Dangote Group thrives in providing essential needs in food and shelter in Sub- Saharan Africa.
“Our mission is to touch the lives of people by providing their basic needs,” reads its website.
It is present in cement manufacturing, sugar milling, sugar refining, port operations, packaging material production and salt refining.
It started its operations in 1978.
