I remain committed to poverty alleviation - Dangote

By The Citizen

The President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has said his recent listing by Forbes magazine as the 23rd richest man in the world will spur him to be more committed to poverty alleviation among Nigerians through job creation.

He said he had always believed the worth of a man did not consist of his wealth but the number of lives he was able to impact positively.

He spoke against the background of the fresh injection of N200bn into the Dangote Foundation.

A statement on Sunday quoted him as saying he would pursue the task of poverty alleviation and health management with renewed vigour.

Dangote, who was named the richest in Africa by the publication said, 'The Dangote Foundation is now 20 years old. This initial endowment will assure that Dangote Foundation has secure and steady funding to carry out its mission as we significantly scale up our work.'

He announced the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees of the foundation, headed by Sani Dangote.

Other BOT members are Halima Aliko-Dangote, Olakunle Alake, A. B. Mahmoud, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Angela Adebayo, Hajara Adeola and Yvonne Ike.

Dangote said, 'Last year, we appointed Adhiambo Odaga as managing director to grow the Dangote Foundation team. The stage is set now for the next stage of our institutional growth.

'Going forward, from the second quarter of this year, we will lay greater emphasis on youth and women empowerment through large-scale efforts that cultivate meaningful change in their lives.'

The Dangote Foundation was established in 1994 to extend the impact of the group's growing business operations, the statement added.