Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest businessman, has called on wealthy Nigerians to redirect the fortunes they spend on private jets into job-creating businesses instead.
Reflecting on his own career, the Dangote Group chairman revealed he bought his first private jet at age 22. While he once enjoyed private air travel, he says he’s now content flying commercial.
”I can take commercial, I can take anything”, he said.
Dangote said his issue isn’t with people enjoying their wealth, but with the lost economic potential when tens of millions of dollars go toward luxury jets instead of productive investment.
He specifically pointed to Nigerians who can afford aircraft costing $90–100 million, urging them to put that money into ventures that employ people and encourage economic development.
He illustrated the point with a story from Abuja, where he once spent 30 minutes searching for a parking spot only to realize the area was crowded with private jets.
He said,“I wish this place was full of factories, not private jets.”
Dangote concluded with his broader view that Nigeria’s economic future depends on industrialization and production rather than consumption,a philosophy reflected in his own group’s investment in large-scale projects like the Dangote Refinery.
