Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that he acquired his first private jet at the age of 22 and a half.
Dangote made the disclosure on Monday, September 14, 2026, at the Nigerian Exchange in Lagos during the formal launch of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
Reflecting on his decades-long business career, the billionaire said he had enjoyed tremendous success but had increasingly shifted his focus towards directing wealth into productive investments.
“My career as a businessman, I really had a great time. I was telling somebody that right now I don’t mind, I can take commercial, I can take anything. I had my first private jet at 22 and a half years old,” Dangote said.
The industrialist, however, urged wealthy Nigerians who own expensive private aircraft to reconsider how they deploy their resources, arguing that more capital should be channelled into productive ventures capable of driving economic growth.
Dangote stressed that Nigeria could not achieve its full economic potential without increased investment in production and other sectors that create jobs, generate wealth and strengthen the economy.
“I try as much as I can to encourage people who are riding $900 million aircraft to please go and put that into production. We are not going to be a great nation without doing something productive,” he said.
The billionaire’s comments came as the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals IPO formally entered the Nigerian capital market, marking a major development in the company’s plans to broaden public ownership and deepen investment in Nigeria’s industrial sector.
