--- description: Find out why Aliko Dangote is one of the 100 most influential people of 2026. title: Aliko Dangote: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65ea32ad2e18af28/69dfb469835520bc375b1693/T100-2026-Web-Aliko-Dangote1.jpg?branch=production --- Apr 15, 2026 # Aliko Dangote by Tony Elumelu  Victor Adewale—The New York Times/Redux If I could use only a few words to describe [Aliko Dangote](https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286071/aliko-dangote/ "undefined"), I would say he is indefatigable, resilient, and foresighted. He is one of the greatest African entrepreneurs of our time. As founder of the Dangote Group, he has financed and manufactured everything from cement to sugar to oil, and recently, as part of his push to invest in African industry, opened a colossal new refinery—Nigeria’s largest. He has shown Africans can create value, with our own resources, on our continent. When faced with difficult moments of my own, I will often ask myself: What would Aliko do? I call him Alicash because he has the Midas touch, but what impresses me most about Aliko is that, in spite of his immense success, he is incredibly humble. He has inspired a generation of entrepreneurs, continues to inspire his friends, and can always be counted on to return a phone call. Aliko and I both believe in the development of Africa from within—by Africans. His dedication is exemplary. He is unceasing in ensuring we leave our continent in a better state than when we met it. A great man, creating a great legacy. _Elumelu is chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa_ Aliko Dangote Is on the 2026 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/aliko-dangote/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/aliko-dangote/"},"headline":"Aliko Dangote","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:53.206Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/aliko-dangote/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65ea32ad2e18af28/69dfb469835520bc375b1693/T100-2026-Web-Aliko-Dangote1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tony Elumelu"}],"creator":"Tony Elumelu","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65ea32ad2e18af28/69dfb469835520bc375b1693/T100-2026-Web-Aliko-Dangote1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/aliko-dangote/","name":"Aliko Dangote"}}]}] ```