Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc confirmed that its founding chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote (GCON), will step down from the board on June 16, 2025, marking the conclusion of a transformative 20-year tenure at the company’s helm.
The retirement signed by Company Secretary Temitope Hassan—was described as part of “the principles of good corporate governance and succession planning.” Under Aliko Dangote’s direction since **2005**, the company rose from a nascent sugar player to one of Nigeria’s most formidable enterprises in the food and agro-industrial sector.
A Legacy of Vertical Integration and Pan-African Growth
During his stewardship, Dangote Sugar pursued ambitious Backward Integration Projects establishing sugarcane farms and processing facilities across Adamawa, Taraba, and Nasarawa States aimed at dramatically reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported sugar. The successful integration strategy not only fostered local supply but also elevated the company into a major pan‑African enterprise, with expansion extending into neighbouring Ghana, where a new refinery boasts the capacity to crush 12,000 tons per day on a 25,000-hectare cane farm.
Financially, the firm recorded a 74.3 percent jump in revenue for the quarter ending March 31, 2025, to ₦213.9 billion (US$133 million), while reducing net losses from ₦122.7 billion to ₦23.6 billion year‑on‑year signaling improved operational efficiency. For full-year 2024, turnover surged 51 percent to ₦665.6 billion, fueling a production target of 1.5 million tons and projection of 75,000 jobs in its farming and processing value chain.
Arnold Ekpe: Banking Veteran Steps Up
In a succession move steeped in strategic governance, the board unanimously appointed Arnold Onyekwere Ekpe, independent non-executive director and renowned former CEO of Ecobank, as new Chairman, effective June 16, 2025.
Ekpe, born in August 1953, is a distinguished Nigerian banker, educated at King’s College in Lagos and the University of Manchester, where he earned degrees in engineering and an MBA. He led Ecobank through pivotal expansion phases between 1996–2001 and again from 2005–2012. His deep expertise in leading pan‑African operations and corporate governance places him as the ideal figure to define the next era for Dangote Sugar.
Ekpe has also held board positions in numerous African banks and industrial institutions and is well respected for his ability to navigate complex regulatory and financial landscapes. The board emphasized that his appointment followed a rigorous evaluation process, ensuring continuity and stability as the company transitions into its next growth phase.
Transitioning from chairman, Aliko Dangote will continue to serve in an oversight capacity within the company, maintaining strategic influence as part of its long-term vision. The company under his founding leadership remains focused on key pillars of food security, national import substitution, industrial agriculture, and regional economic empowerment.
Industry analysts anticipate that Mr. Ekpe’s leadership will steer the company toward further regional expansion, digital transformation, and deeper stakeholder engagement. He inherits a robust structure built over two decades by Dangote a structure now poised to scale further through new markets and sustainable practices.
The board’s statement praised Dangote’s “exemplary service and unwavering commitment to excellence,” while expressing confidence in Ekpe’s ability to “lead the company into a new era of innovation, resilience, and shared prosperity.”
About Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc
Founded in 2005 as a key subsidiary of the broader Dangote Group, Africa’s largest industrial conglomerate.
The company’s mission is to drive self-sufficiency in sugar production through local cultivation and high-capacity refining infrastructure.
It owns and operates Nigeria’s largest sugar refining facility and continues to expand its footprint across West Africa.
Major projects include integrated sugar estates across multiple states and a significant refinery and cane project in Ghana.
Dangote Sugar is part of Nigeria’s strategic initiative to reduce dependency on food imports, increase local job creation, and stimulate rural development.
As of 2025, the company is on track to achieve its goal of producing over 1.5 million metric tons of sugar annually, creating tens of thousands of jobs and enhancing the country’s agro-industrial base.
