Aliko Dangote“We should pray that oil prices remain low. This helps wean us off the dependency on revenues from petroleum.
These were the words of the African richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Dangote, who addressed high level business leaders and international diplomats today, at the world event declared: “Africa will become the food basket of the world. Five of the twelve million jobs needed in Africa soon must be created in Nigeria.
“We should pray that oil prices remain low.”
In a packed room at the headquarters of global law firm Shearman and Sterling LLC, the Nigerian business leader said: “we must take oil to be the icing on the cake. We already have the cake.”
Dangote stressed the need for Nigeria to explore, besides agriculture, Nigeria’s vast mineral resources and gas as well to manufacture more goods locally for domestic consumption.
He also stressed the need for heavy investments in education which should go hand-in-hand with training young people for the jobs of tomorrow.
Dangote predicted that five of the twelve million jobs needed in Africa soon must be created in Nigeria.
He asserted: “technology of course helps us a lot and our factories are state of the art with the use of robotics but we shouldn’t be overly tech oriented to create wealth,” he told investors.
Dangote who is often cited as one of the most inspiring business leaders in the world today and a model for young entrepreneurs offered advice to Americans who tend to rely on outdated news and wrong perceptions of Africa,
“Don’t be lazy. Go there and find the real story for yourself. Things have changed.”
Dangote noted that the Rwanda success story where he has business interests as an example of positive change, good governance and leadership, and where corruption has been cured.
He cited a personal experience of offering a $100 US tip for services at the Kigali Airport to staff who refused to take money for work they were paid to do. The session was moderated by Rosa Whitaker, former US Trade Representative and author of the AGOA (African Growth Opportunity Act), whose business consultancy is credited for helping both African governments and US companies develop commerce.[myad]
