Tinubu hails Dangote on World Bank appointment
By Kunle Sanni
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on his appointment to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab—an international initiative aimed at boosting investment and job creation in developing countries.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described the appointment as well-deserved, citing Dangote’s decades-long record of impactful investments and innovation across Africa.
“The appointment is fitting, considering Dangote’s extensive experience in the private sector, his strategic investments, and the thousands of jobs created through the Dangote Group,” the statement read.
The Dangote Group, a pan-African conglomerate, operates across several sectors including cement, fertiliser, salt, sugar, oil, and gas. Its $20 billion refinery project in Nigeria is widely regarded as the largest single private investment on the continent.
President Tinubu expressed confidence that Dangote would bring his “transformative ideas and initiatives” to the World Bank platform, helping to reshape emerging economies globally.
Dangote’s appointment, announced on Wednesday, is part of a broader expansion of the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, which is entering a new phase focused on attracting private capital and generating employment in the developing world.
Other newly appointed members include Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chair of Bharti Enterprises; and Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
The World Bank stated that the expanded membership comprises global business leaders with a track record of job creation in emerging markets, in line with its renewed focus on employment as a cornerstone of development.
