Dangote Donates $.5m to UNICEF, Plans $8 Billion Refinery in Nigeria

Nigerian Industrialist and Billionaire Philanthropist, Aliko Dangote, has donated the sum of $500,000 to UNICEF in Nigeria, to assist the government to manage the recent measles outbreak in certain states in Nigeria. The funds, according to  Jean Gough, UNICEF Chief for Nigeria, will be used to procure 1.7 million doses of measles vaccine. Gough, during the UNICEF’s courtesy visit at which Dangote announced the donation, also said that, “The grant is a major contribution to government’s fight against measles, which is among the leading causes of child deaths in Nigeria, especially in areas where immunization coverage is low. As we are aware, the trend of measles follows a seasonal pattern with periods of high transmission (January to June with peaks in March) and low transmission (July to December).” Dangote has also talked about his plans for an $8 billion refinery in Nigeria. When senior editors from  some Nigerian media organizations paid him a birthday visit, he said; “We are all aware that the federal government had issued 19 licenses to the private sector to establish refineries in the country, but how many of them have come on stream? There is uncertainty in the sector and only a mad businessman will put up a refinery now, but we are set to do that.” Aliko Dangote, at 56, is Africa’s richest man, worth $16.1 billion mainly from his Cement, Sugar and Flour businesses.