By Eric Elezuo

President/CEO, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has once again proved that his entrepreneurial skills are not just geared towards uplifting him as a person, but to creating an enabling environment for the Nigeria youth and child to grow and develop in an environment he can proudly co-own. His vision is practically for the greater good of the world, and Nigeria in particular.

It is for these reasons and more that for the second consecutive year, the Africa’s foremost entrepreneur and humanist, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The billionaire industrialist was accorded special recognition by the Organised Private Sector (OPS) employers in the country under the aegis of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).

The conglomerate, in a statement issued Friday, December 1, 2023, said in a night of honour and reward for deserving member organisations, Dangote Group, the Pan-African conglomerate emerged top, carting away the award in the ‘Resilience and Sustainable Growth’ category.

The company also stated that its subsidiary, Dangote Cement Plc, was named the “Best Company in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Sector” during the 2022 Employers Annual Excellence Award, held at the Eko Hotel, in Lagos.

The Dangote Group further got a special Plaque as one of the sponsors of the 3rd Edition of the NECA 2022 Annual Employers’ Excellence Award.

It recalled the Dangote Group had won an award as the best company in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products sector in the 2021 Edition of the Awards.

The statement noted that Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, former Chairman of Nestle Nigeria Plc, was the second personality given special recognition and honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the well-attended event.

Mr. Devakumar Edwin, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development & Capital Projects, led the top Management of the company to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award behalf of the President of Dangote Group President.

Other senior Management officials present include the Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Nglan Niat; and Director, Human Assets Management, Dangote Projects, Mr. Fola Ali.

Mr. Edwin and Mrs. Adeola Oyetan, Head of Talent Management of Dangote Cement Plc also received other Awards at the event.

Speaking while presenting Aliko Dangote’s Lifetime Achievement Award to the Dangote team at the high-brow event, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, a former President of NECA and industrialist, said the citation of the business tycoon, which was read out to the warm applause of the participants “was only to fulfil all righteousness, as the name of Dangote looms larger than life for his exemplary works.”

Ohuabunwa stated: “I am proud that a lot of employers are here tonight. This is a great opportunity to catch up and build new networks.

“We need a lot of investments that would create more jobs and reduce poverty.”

The boardroom technocrat, who also presented the Award for ‘Resilience and Sustainable Production’, said: “If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. But if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully.

“The last award (Lifetime Achievement) was to Aliko Dangote, but this one (Resilience & Sustainable Production Award) is to the Dangote Group that has shown resilience and sustainable growth for others to emulate.

“They are setting the trend in sustainable growth.”

In his remarks after receiving the awards, Edwin of Dangote Group described NECA as an organisation that promotes leadership, good governance, innovation, productivity and corporate performance.

“Therefore, Mr. Dangote cherishes the award coming from a quarter like NECA,” said he.

According to Edwin: “NECA continues to remain a partner in progress, rewarding deserving companies for their contribution to national development.

“The Dangote Group will continue to contribute its quota to nation building and promote responsible business all sectors we operate.”

Also speaking, NECA President, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi, explained that this year’s edition of Association’s Annual Employers’ Excellence Award, the third in the series, was to reward organisations that have forged on despite the challenges in Nigeria’s business environment and the economy, which was reflected in the event theme ‘Against All Odds’.

Adeniyi said the Employers Excellence Awards were meant to reward and encourage best practices in Corporate Performance, People Management and Industrial Relations practices amongst employers in Nigeria.

He said the 2022 NECA Annual Employers’ Excellence Awards are to celebrate persistence and resilience, and added that, “In the quest for enterprise competitiveness and sustainable production, we are all winners.”

Simon Lalong, Honourable Minister for Labour and Employment, represented at the event by Mr. M. Yusuf, an official of the Labour Ministry, also congratulated the employers’ body and its leadership on organising the Awards to recognise those that have displayed resilience despite the challenges facing in the private sector.

Other winners in various categories include Nigerian Bottling Company in the Food and Beverages Non-Alcoholic Sector; MTN in the Telecommunications and Allied Services category; TGI Group in the Agro and Agro Allied Services category; Nestle in the Food and Beverages and Workplace Innovation and Peoplecentric Creativity categories; Julius Berger in the Construction and Construction Services sector; NLNG in the Petroleum and Natural Gas sector among others.

Dangote, in more ways than one, has proved that his entrepreneurial skills are not just geared towards uplifting him as a person, but to create an enabling environment for the Nigeria youth and child to grow and develop in an environment he can proudly co-own. His vision is practically for the greater good of the world, and Nigeria in particular.

Born in Kano in 1957, Dangote proudly shuttles between three wonderful tags as the richest man in Nigeria; the richest man in Africa and the richest Black man in the world. He has paid his dues, and mankind is the better for it.

Releasing impacts, Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), the private charitable foundation of Alhaji Aliko Dangote. Incorporated in 1994, as Dangote Foundation, is saddled with the mission to enhance opportunities for social change through strategic investments that improve health and wellbeing, promote quality education, and broaden economic empowerment opportunities. 20 years later, the Foundation has become the largest private Foundation in sub-Saharan Africa, with the largest endowment by a single African donor.

The primary focus of ADF is child nutrition, with wraparound interventions centered on health, education and empowerment, and disaster relief. The Foundation also supports stand-alone projects with the potential for significant social impact.

The Foundation works with state and national governments and many highly reputable international and domestic charities, non-governmental organizations and international agencies to advance its humanitarian agenda.

In one of its biggest collaboration to date, Aliko Dangote Foundation started working in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and key northern State Governments in Nigeria from 2013 to eradicate polio and strengthen routine immunization in Nigeria.

Worthy of praise is the fact that nearly a decade, the Foundation has spent over N7 Billion in the course of feeding, clothing and the general welfare of the Internally Displaced Persons in the Northeast.

To make his host communities feel at ease, and the impact of his presence, Dangote has embarked on an initiative to provide further support to improving educational systems in Ibeju-Lekki and Epe locality. The educational support initiative is a tripartite programme consisting of scholarship, capacity building for teachers and school infrastructure projects.

In addition, Scholarships have been awarded to 52 secondary school students whilst some financial support was provided to their parents and/or guardians. Tertiary students will be included in the next batch of the scheme.

Furthermore, about 100 teachers, principals and school administrators were trained in teaching techniques for the 21st century. After which they were monitored in class on how they were using the skills acquired.

There is hardly any sector that has not felt the milk of human kindness running through Aliko Dangote; the military, media, politicians, governments across boards and more.

Dangote is surely an asset to this world!

As at today, there is no space for slowing down for Dangote as he continues to trudge on, creating firsts after first for himself and for humanity.

He is blessed with three wonderful daughters, who have followed the rewarding footprints of entrepreneurship.

We, at The Boss, congratulates the African giant, and wish him many more laurels as his footprints remain indelible in the sands of time.