Foremost entrepreneur, Aliko Dangote, has been ranked the 66th most powerful person on the planet, ahead of the United States Vice President, Mike Pence.
According to Forbe’s latest 2018 ranking of the World’s 75 Powerful people, Dangote ranked among world leaders like the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin and the US President, Donald Trump, all of whom were ranked first, second and third respectively.
Dangote was ranked ahead of Pence in 67 and the highly influential Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Qamar Javed Bajwa, who ranked 68.
The Africa’s richest man (Dangote) is the only Nigerian on the list and one of two Africans who made the list with the other being Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was ranked, 45th most powerful.
Dangote, it would be recalled was the only black man who made the list apart from US President, Barack Obama, in the 2016 ranking released in 2017 and was listed at 71 just above the then American presidential contender, Donald Trump, who was listed 72.
Dangote is the Chairman, Dangote Cement which produces 44 million metric tons annually across the African continent and still plans to expand and increase its output by 33 per cent by 2020.
According to the Forbe’s rich list, Dangote as at March 2018 had an estimated net worth of $14.1 billion and ranked among the 100 richest in the world and the richest in Africa, a position he has held for almost a decade.
Dangote reached the peak in 2014 when he came 23rd richest in the world and in 2013 surpassed the Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi by over $2.6 billion to become the world richest person of African descent.
It will be recalled that the President of the Dangote Group of companies has often made such lists due to his business concerns and humanitarian efforts in Nigeria and other parts of the world especially his efforts through the Aliko Dangote Foundation to rid Nigeria and Africa of polio, malaria and mal-nutrition.
His efforts in this regard was recognized by the United Nations which appointed him, Malaria Ambassador.
Dangote stepped up his humanitarian activities recently spending billions of Naira to build hospitals and critical hospital equipment, the lack of which has forced Nigerians of means to seek medical attention abroad.
He also donated N1.2billion Business School complex to Bayero University in Kano and is presently constructing a similar one for the University of Ibadan Business School.
The business mogul has continued through the Foundation by disbursing N10 billion to vulnerable women across the 774 local governments in the country.
Dangote made a donation of $2 million to the World Food Programme as part of efforts to help Pakistani nationals devastated by floods in the year 2010.
Within the top 10 most powerful people in the world as listed by Forbes are; the German Chancellor¸ Angela Markel, ranked 4th, the Founder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos, 5th, the Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis 6th, Bill Gates comes 7th, the Saudi Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, 8th, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 9th while the Chief Executive of Google, Larry Page, placed 10th.
