In a move seen by analysts as gearing up for expansion to ccelerates its pan-African growth strategy as well involving family in boardroom responsibilities, Nigeria’s Dangote Group has appointed David Bird, a former Shell executive and ex-CEO of 0Q8 refinery in Oman, as chief executive of its refinery and petrochemical division, the company said on Saturday.
Also, Dangote’s 3 eldest daughters have assumed greater roles in the conglomerate as billionaire mogul concentrates attention on refinery, the biggest fish in his vast conglomerate.
Bird, whose appointment took effect on August 1, brings over three decades of industry experience, including a 14-year stint at Shell where he oversaw the $12 billion Prelude FLNG project.
His appointment comes as Dangote’s $20 billion refinery complex in Lagos, the world’s largest single-train facility, ramps up output following its commissioning in January 2024.
Amid growing output and expansion, the Lagos refinery has faced operational setbacks, including design flaws and unit upsets, prompting a shift to a more diverse crude slate, according to Reuters.
Bird said, in a LinkedIn post, that his focus would be on boosting efficiency and expanding the company’s footprint across Africa.
Dangote also plans to list its refining business on the Lagos and London stock exchanges, although it has not given a timeframe.
Dangote, which exported 220,000 bpd in July – led by jet fuel and gasoil – according to S&P Global’s Commodities at Sea Data, plans to increase the refinery’s capacity to 700,000 bpd and launch a CNG-powered truck fleet to strengthen domestic distribution.
Chairman Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, is also seeking regulatory approval for a deep-sea port in Ogun state to support logistics.
The business mogul, 68, estimated by Bloomberg to be worth $28.5 billion as of July 28, has quietly begun stepping back from boardroom duties, ceeding more leadership responsibilities to his three eldest daughters in a conglomerate that makes him Africa’s richest man.
Analsysts see the move as both a sign of demonstration of consolidation of leadership acumen as well as succession planning and commitment to family legacy.
They further say the action will allow the patriarch reserve his energy to fully concentrate attention on his namesake $20 billion refinery, the single biggest entity in his empire, while his family consolidates by learning through the ladder.
In June, Dangote retired from the board of Dangote Sugar Refinery. On July 25, he also stepped down as Chairman of Dangote Cement, the crown jewel of his conglomerate before the launch of the refinery in Lagos.
He is replaced at Dangote Cement by Emmanuel Ikazoboh, former Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Chairman, who joined the cement company in 2014.
Dangote is taking the steps to actualise his announcement earlier this year that, being nearing 70, he will soon have to retire because his body will no longer be able to cope with the rigours of running around to manage his quarry.
The eldest three of his five daughters – Mariya, Halima, and Fatima – and the greater leadership roles they are now playing in the omnibus Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) are as follows:
Mariya – Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, DPAN
Eldest daughter Mariya has joined the board of Dangote Cement, per The Africa Report, quoting a company statement.
Her appointment is intended to help the business remain “agile and well positioned for long-term value creation” with her key assets that include “cross-functional expertise and understanding of strategic operations.”
Mariya became Executive Director of Operations at Dangote Sugar Refinery in 2022, after overseeing strategic planning, backward integration projects, and digital transformation efforts since 2019.
She previously worked as a Business Strategy and Risk Specialist at DIL, the Dangote Group holding company, which she joined in 2016 after completing an MBA at Coventry University in the United Kingdom.
She also serves on the board of Dangote Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria (DPAN), which manufactures and markets Peugeot vehicles locally.
With Mariya’s appointment, two of Dangote’s daughters now sit on the board of Dangote Cement, Nigeria’s third-largest listed company, valued at N8.34 trillion ($5.4b) as of July 28.
Halima – DIL, Dangote Cement, NASCON, DFO, ADF
Second eldest Halima was appointed to Dangote Cement board in early 2022, after the death of her uncle, Sani Dangote, who also served as DIL Vice President.
She has been a Group Executive Director at DIL since 2019 and previously led a turnaround at Dangote Flour Mills, culminating in its sale to Singapore’s Olam Group.
She was tasked in 2023 with establishing and running the Dangote Family Office (DFO) in Dubai. She is also a trustee of Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), the group’s philanthropic arm.
Between 2014 and 2016, Halima was an Executive Director at NASCON Allied Industries, another DIL subsidiary, and continues to sit on its board in a non-executive capacity.
Fatima – DIL, NASCON, ADF
Third eldest Fatima is Group Executive Director for Commercial Operations at DIL, overseeing commercial strategy, communications, procurement, and administration across the Group.
Her earlier roles included Technical Specialist in the strategy unit and Executive Assistant to the Director of Business Development and Portfolio Management.
“Nigeria is importing 90% of its sugar requirement. The homegrown sugar is still less than 10%. However, with the aggressive implementation of the Backward Integration Programme, Dangote will be able to reduce dependence on imports soon,” Fatima told The Africa Report last year.
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She has sat on the board of NASCON Allied Industries since 2023 and previously served as Executive Director from 2016, during which she oversaw the company’s commercial sales, marketing, logistics, and branding strategies.
Fatima is also closely involved with the Aliko Dangote Foundation and regularly appears alongside her father at public events.
She described him as “extremely hardworking” in a CNN interview last year.
Asked whether he was demanding as a parent, she replied: “A bit hard. I think he expects so much more from us compared to other people, and when you have a father like him, nothing but perfection is acceptable, then you have to work extra .…”
Aliko’s renewed focus on Group energy and industrial ventures
Even though he stepped back from the cement business, Dangote has signalled a renewed focus on his Group’s energy and industrial ventures.
The conglomerate recently launched a $2.5 billion fertiliser plant in Lagos after commissioning its 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery in 2024 and also reopened its tomato processing plant in Kano.
DIL explained in a statement that Aliko Dangote would now concentrate on the refinery, fertiliser and petrochemical operations, as well as on government relations.
He announced last month plans to more than double output at the fertiliser plant by 2028 and to boost refinery capacity to 700,000 barrels per day.
He also disclosed plans to develop “Nigeria’s largest deep-sea port” to support exports of the Group’s energy and industrial products, and the new port would “become an anchor for our liquefied natural gas, fertilisers and fuels.”
Outside Nigeria, DIL has signed a $3 billion agreement with the Ethiopian government to build a fertiliser plant in Gode, in the Somali Region.
