President Bola Tinubu has hailed Aliko Dangote’s appointment to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, calling it a timely and fitting recognition of the industrialist’s global stature. Dangote, who heads the Dangote Group, joins an elite team of business leaders tasked with scaling private investment and employment in developing nations.
The President’s reaction came through a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, where he described the appointment as well-deserved. According to Tinubu, the lab’s mission mirrors the economic priorities of Nigeria and other emerging economies that rely on private sector growth to power development.
“President Bola Tinubu congratulates Alhaji Aliko Dangote… on his appointment to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab… a body tasked with promoting investment and job creation in emerging economies,” the statement read.
A Symbol of African Ingenuity
Tinubu praised Dangote’s legacy as a job creator and economic driver, highlighting the evolution of the Dangote Group into one of Africa’s most influential conglomerates. From cement to fertiliser, and now refining, the President said Dangote’s relentless investments and strategic foresight make him a natural fit for the World Bank’s renewed development agenda.
Of particular note was the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lagos, which Tinubu called Africa’s “most daring project and most significant single private investment.” He emphasised that this refinery stands as proof of what African entrepreneurship can achieve on a global scale.
With business interests spread across salt, sugar, cement, fertiliser, and oil and gas, Dangote’s work exemplifies the scale of private-sector ambition the World Bank hopes to harness through the lab.
A Call to Shape Global Development
Tinubu urged the billionaire to bring his development insight to bear on the global stage. He encouraged Dangote to guide emerging markets in attracting capital and delivering high-impact projects, positioning him as a bridge between Africa and the wider world.
“President Tinubu urges Dangote to bring to bear on the World Bank appointment his transformative ideas and initiatives to impact the emerging markets across the world fully,” the statement added.
Dangote joins other business heavyweights in the lab, including Bill Anderson of Bayer AG, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises, and Mark Hoplamazian of Hyatt Hotels. Their inclusion reflects the World Bank’s push to re-centre job creation as a priority for global growth.
The World Bank announced the expanded membership on Wednesday, noting that the advisory body now includes leaders with solid track records in building employment opportunities across developing economies.
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