Aliko Dangote is the founder and president/chief executive of the Dangote Group, the largest conglomerate in West Africa.

He began his business career in 1978, trading in rice, sugar and cement, before he ventured into full-scale manufacturing. He was named Co-chair of the US-Africa Business Center, in September 2016, by the US Chamber of Commerce.

In April 2017, he joined the Board of Directors of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which is helping countries build the systems necessary to provide health services to their people.

Internationally, Mr. Dangote sits on the board of the Corporate Council on Africa and is a member of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative, the Clinton Global Initiative, the McKinsey Advisory Council, and the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. Mr. Dangote is a graduate of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. He also holds Honorary Doctorate degrees from several institutions across the globe.