HALIMA DANGOTE: Determined to carve a niche, make a difference

THOMAS IMONIKHE 

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Halima Dangote, daughter of the African richest man, Alhaji, Aliko Dangote, GCON, got saddled with additional but important responsibility recently as she was elevated to the Board of Dangote Cement Plc as a non-executive director.

 

Though not unexpected, her elevation was contained in a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited, endorsed by the company’s Secretary, Edward Imoedemhe, and took effect from February 26, 2022.

 

Ms Dangote, from all indications, will be filling the vacuum created by the sudden exit of her uncle, Sani Dangote, the former vice president of the Dangote Group and a director of the company, who died in November 2021.

 

At home with tough assignments, the hard working, diligent and unassuming appointee will have to combine  the new role with her current position of Group Executive Director (GED), Commercial Operations of Dangote Industries Limited, a diversified business conglomerate in manufacturing, Cement, Sugar, Salt, Poly-products, Logistics, Oil & Gas and Real Estate with a combined market capitalization of over $25 billion.

 

But the significance of her appointment can better be appreciated when viewed from the enormous operations of Dangote Cement Plc as sub-Saharan Africa’s largest cement producer with an installed capacity of 45.6Mta in Nigeria and across 10 African countries with business activities covering manufacturing, sales, and distribution of cement.

 

Described as very imaginative and creative, as the GED, it should further be noted that Halima has never shirked her onerous responsibilities including leading the development and implementation of Dangote Group’s ‘customer strategy to drive customer growth, improve customer relations, enhance the customer experience and increase long-term customer value’ diligently and with utmost integrity in line with best global corporate standards.

 

This is in addition to ensuring the implementation of the Group’s shared services strategy with specific oversight for such functions as ‘commercial, strategic procurement, branding and communications and corporate services which, perhaps, explains the Board’s recent decision to give her additional assignment.

 

For those who have worked closely with the billionaire daughter, Halima, who has received several commendations on account of her dedication to duties and unblemished track record of service for over 13 years in the Group, is a perfect pick for the appointment given her cognitive experience and the recent impressive results posted by the cement producer where she has been part of the Group management team.

The company posted a significant increase in profit in 2021 evidently boosted by an amazing turnover of almost N1.4 trillion as against the N1 trillion declared in 2020.

 

According to the company’s audited results, gross revenue stood at  N1,383.6 bn for the full year, comprising N993.34 billion generated from Nigeria and N397.32 bn realized from plants across other African countries as compared with the Group’s revenue of N1,034.20 bn in 2020 made up of N719.95bn from Nigeria and N318.68 bn from other African operations.

 

Also, Dangote Cement Plc recorded a gross profit of N538.37 bn and after-tax profit of N364.44 bn last year.

Above all, the company sustained its position as a leading contributor to Nigeria’s economy with a tax charge of N173.93 bn for the financial year ended 31st December, 2021 representing an increase of 78.7 per cent over N97.24 bn in 2020.

 

Based on the above scorecard, therefore, industry experts are upbeat that Halima is bringing  her vibrancy, intelligence and creativity to the Board, consolidate her role as member of the management and mobilize staff to contribute tirelessly to further improve the company’s fortune, improved bottom line and continue to deliver mouth-watering dividend to shareholders.

 

And since success starts first from believing in oneself, ‘cutting out negative self-talk as well as looking for ways to stay positive and self-encouraging’, the non-executive director certainly knows the task ahead and, therefore, won’t let her employer down but strive hard to attain the corporate goals.

 

Ms Dangote, like most daughters of billionaires, according to industry experts, has a drive, vision, determination, tenacity of purpose, strong educational background and accomplished in her chosen career.

They insist that she is in the class of Mrs. Bella Disu, Executive Vice Chairman of Globacom and daughter of Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr, GCON; Ivanka Donald Trump and Jennifer Katharine Gates, who have all made their marks in various professions.

 

Halima had served as Executive Director of Dangote Flour Mills, where she led the turnaround before the recent sale of the business at even a profitable market price. Before  then, she also served as Executive Director of NASCON Allied Industries Plc, a manufacturer of salt, seasonings and related consumer products where she continues to serve as a non-executive director.

 

Apart from being the president of the Board of The Africa Centre (TAC) in New York, renowned for providing a forward-looking gateway for engagement with Africa via policy developments, business and culture, she is a Board member of Endeavour Nigeria as well as member, Women Corporate Directors (WCD).

 

Ms Dangote holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business with a major in Marketing from American Intercontinental University, London, United Kingdom and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Webster Business School, UK.

Besides, the quest for further knowledge motivated her to attend top leadership development programmes including the Programme for Leadership Development (PLD) at Harvard Business School; Executive Development Programme at Kellogg School of Management; Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Executives at Columbia Business School.

 

She is a also a philanthropist and a Trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, second daughter of the Nigerian billionaire and is happily married to Sulaiman Sani Bello, while  the union is blessed with children.

 

Though hardly in the news, Halima, a devout Muslim and workaholic seems to be one of the great admirers of Diana Nyad, an American author, journalist and motivational speaker who declared that, “I am willing to put myself through anything, temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to new level. I am interested in the unknown, and the only path to the unknown is through breaking barriers, an often painful process”.

 

In other words Halima, despite her privileged background, has decided early in life to take the bull by the horns, break down gender barriers and carve a niche for herself and make a difference rather than basking on father’s fame, and the sky appears to be the limit as she settles down to tackle the new assignment as non-executive director of Dangote Cement.

 

She is expected to bring her wealth of experience to bear for the greater benefits of not only the company as a good corporate citizen, shareholders but to accelerate social and economic development of the country given the strategic importance of cement in building and construction.

For a better society