The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has been named among TIME100 for 2026, reaffirming his standing as one of the world’s most influential business leaders.
The list, released on April 15, recognises individuals shaping global discourse across business, politics, technology, and culture. Dangote was listed alongside prominent figures such as Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Carney, and Pope Leo XIV, as well as business and technology leaders including Sundar Pichai and Neal Mohan.
Dangote, who featured in the Titans category, is the only Nigerian on the 2026 list, though not the only African. Other Africans recognised include Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Precious Matsoso, Anok Yai, Mamadou Amadou Ly, and Zabib Musa Loro, reflecting broader African representation across leadership, health, culture, education, and peacebuilding.
This marks Dangote’s second appearance on the TIME100 list, having first been honoured in 2014 for his impact on business and philanthropy. His return more than a decade later shows the consistency and scale of his global influence.
As founder of Africa’s largest indigenous industrial conglomerate, Dangote has driven investments across cement manufacturing, sugar refining, fertiliser production, agriculture, and infrastructure, with a recent expansion into energy. These investments have significantly reduced reliance on imports while creating jobs and strengthening local production capacity across the continent.
In its citation, TIME highlighted Dangote’s long-term vision of building globally competitive industries using African resources, pointing to his large-scale investments in manufacturing and energy infrastructure as central to Africa’s economic transformation.
Other notable figures in the Titans category include Reid Wiseman, Commander of the Artemis II mission; Sundar Pichai; Neal Mohan; Michael and Susan Dell, founders of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; and Ralph Lauren, founder of the Ralph Lauren Corporation.
