President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has said having a male child to sustain his family name and business empire is not his priority, insisting that he is satisfied with the achievements of his three daughters.
Dangote made the comment in an interview aired by Arise News on Tuesday while responding to a question about whether he still wished to have a son who would carry on the family name.
The 69-year-old billionaire said the decision to have a son was ultimately beyond his control and cautioned against forcing what may not be destined to happen.
“That is not my priority because God controls everything. You can pray for God to give you a son, but he might be the one to take down the name of the family. Sometimes, when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push,” he said.
Dangote, who has three daughters, Mariya, Halima, and Fatima, said he did not believe a son would necessarily have achieved more than his daughters.
“I don’t think a son would have done better than the three daughters I have,” he said.
His remarks come amid growing attention on succession and the future of his business empire and wealth.
The businessman also confirmed that his family had agreed to allocate one-third of his estate to philanthropy after his death.
His daughter, Halima Dangote, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, had disclosed the arrangement in July.
Dangote said an agreement had been signed to ensure that 33 percent of his wealth would go to the foundation and ultimately be used to support people.
“It’s a paper that we’ve signed an agreement that in case anything happens, because I won’t live forever, that one-third belongs to Dangote foundation, and the foundation should pass that money to people,” he said.
According to Forbes, Dangote has an estimated net worth of $51.3 billion.
Reflecting on his journey in business, Dangote advised young people seeking success to remain focused, consistent, and patient.
“Work hard, be consistent, be focused, and know what you want to do. You can’t be a jack of all trades; concentrate, you will get there, and don’t be too much in a hurry,” he said.
He also recalled that his business career began on a relatively small scale, saying he started as a distributor rather than an importer.
“I started business only selling four trucks as a distributor and not an importer,” Dangote said.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
