Business
Dangote Named Most Admired African Brand, Bags Two More Awards in Addis Ababa

Dangote Industries Limited has been named the most admired African Brand after receiving two more major awards in Addis Ababa over the weekend.
This is another historic milestone for the pan-African investor and the Dangote Industries Limited.
The company garnered three prestigious accolades at the 15th annual Brand Africa 100 awards, held at the iconic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—the birthplace of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU).
Dangote Industries Limited was named Most Admired African Brand, following an independent, consumer-led survey conducted across more than 30 African countries.
The company was also inducted into the Brand Africa Hall of Fame, becoming the first African firm to receive this distinction.
The induction recognises Dangote’s transformative impact on African consumers and its influential role in shaping a positive narrative for the continent.
President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his leadership in driving impactful industrialisation, establishing a world-class African brand, and reshaping the continent’s economic future through a benchmark, homegrown enterprise.
Joining Dangote Industries in the inaugural Hall of Fame were MTN, M-Pesa, Ethiopian Airlines, and South Africa, for consistently ranking among Africa’s most admired brands over the past 5 to 15 years and for building sustainable, globally respected brands.
Reacting to the awards, Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina, said the honours reflect the unwavering commitment, excellence, and innovation that define the group’s journey.
He added that they are a testament to the dedication of the company’s outstanding team, partners, and stakeholders, who continue to believe in the mission to drive sustainable development and economic growth across the continent.
“We also extend our heartfelt appreciation for the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to our Founder and President, Aliko Dangote for building a purposeful world-class industrial brand that has exceptionally transformed African lives and the African narrative.
This accolade celebrates not only his visionary leadership but also his tireless efforts in transforming industries, creating opportunities, and championing African enterprise on the global stage.
His legacy is an inspiration to generations of entrepreneurs and leaders across Africa,” he said.
Noting that the recognition would further inspire the company to push boundaries, empower communities, and deliver meaningful value across Africa and beyond, Chiejina reaffirmed Dangote Industries’ commitment to excellence, integrity, and transformative growth.
In his keynote address, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr Claver Gatete, praised Aliko Dangote, the Hall of Fame inductees, and the Brand Africa laureates for advancing the African agenda.
He highlighted the alignment between Brand Africa and the ECA’s mission to promote inclusive industrialisation, regional integration, and private sector-led growth.
He also called for increased investment in youth-led innovation, regional value chains, and the establishment of a Pan-African Creative Innovation Fund to identify, finance, and globalise Africa’s most promising brands.
“I wish to particularly acknowledge MTN, Dangote Group, mPesa and Ethiopian Airlines for consistently maintaining their distinguished positions among the “Most Admired African Brands” category and continuing to set benchmarks in brand leadership, innovation and continental impact,” he said.
According to the organisers, the 2025 rankings reveal a stark contrast between rising African optimism and declining brand loyalty.
While 68% of Africans expressed belief in the continent—up from 64% in 2024—only 11% of the Top 100 Most Admired Brands are African, marking a historic low and down from 14% in 2024.
The report indicates the urgent need for homegrown brands to translate belief into consumer loyalty, and for Africans to more actively support Made-in-Africa products and enterprises.
“It is disappointing to see the sharp drop in African brands, which mirrors the ranking of non-African nations as the most influential in Africa,” says Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa.
“It’s a wake-up call for Africa—and a barometer of the continent’s lagging industrialisation agenda. It’s not enough for Africans to say they believe in the continent—they must buy made-in-Africa.
For that to happen, African brands must invest in R&D, continue to innovate, deliver quality, and use authenticity as a differentiator.”
Business
OPSN Applauds President Tinubu for FRC tax halt
The OPSN urges continued engagement between regulatory institutions and the private sector to co-create regulatory policies that drive economic growth without stifling entrepreneurship.

The OPSN and its stakeholders have been in active dialogue with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and other critical agencies, advocating for business-friendly policies that foster enterprise growth, protect jobs, and enhance national productivity.
The Organised Private Sector Nigeria (OPSN) comprising NACCIMA, MAN, NECA, NASSI and NASME commends President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for having suspended the implementation of certain provisions of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Act 2023, which imposed financial caps and additional compliance dues on private companies.
Engr Jani Ibrahim, the National President of NACCIMA/Chairman OPSN, expressed gratitude on behalf of the private sector business, in a statement on Thursday.
The statement reads:” This action comes as a timely relief to the organised private sector members, including the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), many of whom had expressed deep concerns about the financial and administrative burden posed by the mandatory levies and reporting obligations under the current FRC framework.
The OPSN and its stakeholders have been in active dialogue with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and other critical agencies, advocating for business-friendly policies that foster enterprise growth, protect jobs, and enhance national productivity.
We therefore commend the efforts of the Government for this timely decision, which is a proactive and responsive measure that supports the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the ease of doing business and sustaining investor confidence.
The suspension provides a critical window for stakeholders to revisit the framework and ensure that future implementations of financial reporting obligations are transparent, equitable, and sensitive to the realities and legitimate concerns of Nigerian businesses.
The OPSN urges continued engagement between regulatory institutions and the private sector to co-create regulatory policies that drive economic growth without stifling entrepreneurship.
We remain committed to constructive dialogue and collaboration that will advance Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda.”
Business
Dangote Cement Creates 50 Agric Entrepreneurs
The beneficiaries were selected from the company’s host communities of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

Determined to support the government in its food security efforts, Dangote Cement Plc has launched a Farmers Empowerment Programme in Benue State.
The initiative is aimed at enabling 50 farmers to produce subsistence and cash crops in commercial quantities from Benue State, considered to be the food basket of the nation.
The programme is coming barely two months after the company empowered businesswomen in Gboko host communities of the State with cash grants, thus deepening business activities in the State.
Earlier, the company had increased bursary payments to students of host communities by more than 100 percent.
Speaking Thursday at the launch of the Farmers Empowerment Programme, General Manager Social Performance, Johnson Kor, described the programme as ‘historic and innovative.’
He said that the beneficiaries were selected from the company’s host communities of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to him, the beneficiaries were carefully selected from the six catchment areas of the Local Government.

Mr. Kor said the projects have been earmarked for the communities as captured in the extant Community Development Agreement (CDA), adding that the contents of the CDA are progressively being executed. “Today we are witnessing an historic occasion in our journey of mutual development.
Farmers Empowerment Programme is the first programme to be launched since we signed the CDA with the immediate host communities in December 2024,” he said.
In his speech, Plant Director, Dangote Cement, Gboko Plant, Munusamy Murugan, said the company will also support farmers with fertilizers, Agro chemicals, Knapsack Sprayers and various types of seedlings. Mr. Murugan who was represented by Head of Production Department, Engr Soom Kiishi said: “This is the first batch but certainly just the beginning, and certainly not the end.
We plan it to be an annual event, but the choice of the Farmers programme may change, depending on the choice of the benefiting communities.”
He said that other economic empowerment programmes are lined up in the coming weeks.
“The Youth Empowerment Programme will soon be launched, and selected beneficiaries will receive training in Welding & Fabrication, and Solar Electrical Installation from Professional personnels,” he added.
He said the company’s scholarship scheme cuts across students from various disciplines and tertiary institutions.
In his address to the communities, a Consultant from Abbass Corporate Services, Dr. Ahemen Aondoaver Samuel, advised the beneficiaries to make use of what he described as a rare opportunity from the Dangote Cement Plc.
The Consultant said that the company’s effort will help transform beneficiaries into entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and enable them to support the government’s food security effort.
A member of the community, Kwaghgba Isaac, described the Farmers Empowerment Programme as a historic and huge intervention from the company, noting that the effort will not only boost subsistence farming, but help feed the nation.
He urged members of the communities to sustain the peaceful coexistence currently being enjoyed with the company.
Business
Nigeria’s economy grows 3.7% in H1- Stanbic IBTC report
Muyiwa Oni, Head of Equity Research, West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, said that the estimated 3.7 percent year-on-year GDP growth aligns with expectations for annual growth of 3.5 percent.

• President Bola Tinubu
The Nigerian economy grew by 3.7 percent in the first half of 2025, driven by improved business conditions and increased oil production.
This was revealed in the Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report compiled by S&P Global and released on Tuesday.
Earlier, the World Bank estimated that Nigeria’s economy would grow by 3.6 percent in 2025, higher than the 3.4 percent recorded in 2024, despite shifts in global trade dynamics.
This projection is lower than the Central Bank of Nigeria’s estimate of 4.17 percent and the ambitious 5.5 percent GDP growth forecasted by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group in January.
Muyiwa Oni, Head of Equity Research, West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, said that the estimated 3.7 percent year-on-year GDP growth aligns with expectations for annual growth of 3.5 percent.
He said, “Insights from the monthly PMIs and crude oil production data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission suggest an economy that grew by an estimated 3.7 per cent y/y in H1 2025, supported by higher crude oil production and improved growth in manufacturing and services, while agriculture continues to lag its long-term average growth rate of 3.6 per cent.”
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Dangote Cement Creates 50 Agric Entrepreneurs