Given his love for the game, could a position in CAF be Dangote’s next stop?
For Africa’s richest man, almost nothing is impossible. The Nigerian billionaire, who started from simple importation of food materials into the country has grown to be one of the finest, if not the finest businessman on the continent. If there is one thing that his business investments have shown, it is that Dangote is not shy to try his hands on new things. From pasta to noodles, bottled water, salt, cement, petroleum, Dangote has invested in them all despite the fact that he is not a specialist in them all.
The previous 7 days have been quite lively for the businessman. We start from his now public desire to conquer the South African cement segment by taking over PPC, one of the key manufacturers in the country. The bid, which is rivalled by other bids from competitors like LafargeHolcim, AfriSam and Faifax, Dangote claims is being fully backed by two banks.
What’s probably more interesting is the confidence Dangote exuded in his ability to conquer the African cement manufacturing scene. “We are waiting for them to get back to us, hopefully early next …They can be part and parcel of the Dangote Cement story, where we’re going to be in 18 African countries.” week,” Aliko Dangote said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in New York.
Still within the past 7 days, Dangote was a key participant in Michael Bloomberg’s inaugural Global Business Forum while his company also made known its desire to invest a further $4.6 billion in agriculture. However, another highlight must be his retirement from his position as a council member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. For someone like Dangote, though, retiring from one position usually means hopping into another. Which is why so much buzz is going around about the visit of Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) president to Dangote’s office.
Dangote’s passion for the game of soccer is an open secret as there were rumors that he was interested in buying over English Premiership giants, Arsenal FC, a rumor that certainly had Nigerians drooling. Till now, though, that has not come to fruition. However, could the CAF President’s visit mean that a position in CAF be Dangote’s next stop? Could he be looking to build his soccer empire from within? These are questions you’d be silly to write off considering his dexterity at succeeding where he’s never ventured into before.