Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, says Nigeria has shed its status as one of the world’s biggest cement importers and now leads the continent in cement exports — proof, he said, that the country can also succeed in transforming its healthcare sector.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event in Lagos, the President of Dangote Group said Nigeria’s reversal of its dependence on imports in key sectors like cement, fertiliser, and petroleum products should serve as a blueprint for healthcare reform.
“Let me start with health,” Dangote said during a panel session with Bill Gates.
“Through our own partnership with Bill, we have actually ended polio. We’ve also done a lot in nutrition. That’s part of our partnership.
“In terms of business, Nigeria used to be the second largest importer of cement in the world. We’ve reversed that — we now export more cement than any other African country.”
Dangote highlighted similar progress in fertiliser production, saying the country now houses the world’s second-largest fertiliser plant, built from scratch.
“Our farmers used to suffer due to lack of fertiliser,” he said.
“Today, not only have we solved that problem, but Nigeria now exports 37% of its fertiliser production to the United States.”
On petrochemicals, Dangote said his refinery has also addressed Nigeria’s historical reliance on petroleum product imports.
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“Nigeria used to import 350,000 tonnes of polypropylene. That problem is now solved. We will not only meet local demand but also export 600,000 tonnes across Africa,” he said.
He described his $20 billion Dangote Refinery as the largest single-train refinery in the world.
“In May alone, we exported 400,000 metric tonnes of petrol,” Dangote revealed. “Nigeria used to import 100% of its petrol. Not anymore.”
Looking ahead, Dangote called for a similar revolution in the health sector, warning that Nigeria’s heavy reliance on foreign healthcare is unsustainable.
“We must begin to produce our own drugs and invest in world-class local healthcare,” he said.
“We need to stop flying abroad for treatment. We’ve done it in cement, fertiliser, and petrol — we can do it in health.”
The Goalkeepers event is an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at accelerating progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).