Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has responded to accusations that his business activities were creating a monopoly, saying that he would remain focused on his objectives rather than be distracted by his critics.
Dangote, who stated this during an interview with Al Jazeera, used football star Lionel Messi as an example, explaining that a player must concentrate on the ball rather than the audience while playing.
“Well, you know, if I’m going to listen to that, have you ever seen a footballer looking at the audience? He has to continue looking at the ball. If I’m Messi, for example, I’m kicking the ball, and I’m looking at the audience, do you think I won’t miss the ball? I will miss the ball,” the billionaire businessman said, just as he argued that people would not always be satisfied with the activities of businesses, adding that accusations of monopoly would not stop him from pursuing his investment plans.
“If I’m going to make my continent great and people want to call me a monopoly for no reason, so be it. I mean, it’s not going to reduce the colour of my face or whatever. You can call me whatever you want to call me; I didn’t stop anybody; it is an opportunity given to everybody, every one of us has that opportunity whether Africans, foreigners or whoever,” he said, adding that said the government had not granted his businesses exclusive rights to operate in any sector, maintaining that opportunities were available to investors who were willing to participate.
“There’s nothing that the government gave us and say, ‘this is only for Dangote ’. The government will create a policy around a sector, and they will blow a whistle and say, ‘ Yes, this is it,” he noted.
Using a 100-metre race as an illustration, Dangote said investors who had chosen not to participate should not blame those who entered and won.
“If there’s a 100-metre race, some people were on the bench while I’m on the track, and I agreed to run that race, and I won that race alone, are you going to blame me or are you going to blame people who just sat on the bench?” he asked.
The businessman added that businesses and individuals needed to believe in Africa and invest in its development if they want to benefit from the continent’s economic opportunities.
“They’re not ready, they’re not prepared, they don’t even believe in Africa itself. If you don’t invest, you are not going to get fruit of that labour,” he replied to those accusing him of monopoly.
Addressing his critics, Dangote said opposition and distractions would continue but maintained that his businesses would remain committed to their objectives, just he also added that he considered the industrial development of Africa a responsibility that required determination.
According to him, that he was willing to make personal sacrifices towards achieving the goal.
“The distraction will continue. But we have what you call a very thick skin. No matter what you do, even if you take bullets, you are hitting our body with it; we’re not going to stop. We have a target, and we’re getting to our target.
“And if we don’t do it, believe me honestly, Africa will be in trouble. And I would rather save my continent at the expense of even my life. This continent must get to the promised land,” he declared, just as he further called for increased processing of Africa’s raw materials within the continent, arguing that local value addition would help retain economic benefits and promote industrial development.
Dangote added that African governments could eventually adopt measures to encourage local processing once the continent demonstrated the benefits of transforming raw materials before exporting them.
“Eventually they (foreigners) will stop taking our raw materials. They must produce on our own continent.
“You see, once we show people how to do all these, even the governments themselves will start saying, no, you can’t take our cocoa, process it here and add value, then you take it out,” he stated.
