Why Dangote Resigns As Chairman Of Cement Company As Ikazoboh Takes Over

Dangote Cement has disclosed the reasons why its founder and majority shareholder, Aliko Dangote, has retired from his role as Chairman of the Board, reports Business Today NG.
The company’s Group Chief, Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Friday, 25 July, 2025, said that Dangote stepped down from the position to devote more attention to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Aside this, Chiejina also added that his retirement is in order to drive the company’s five-year business trajectory to a superlative height.
Following his retirement, the Board appointed Emmanuel Ikazoboh, an independent non-executive director, as the new chairman
“The board of Dangote Cement has, therefore, announced the appointment of an independent non-executive director, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.
“In the same vein, Hajiya Mariya Aliko Dangote was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company while Prof. Dorothy Ufot retired from the Board,” the statement added.
The statement said Dangote left giant footprints as he retired from the board.
“His vision and tenacity redefined not just a company, but the entire cement industry landscape by becoming Africa’s largest cement producer and largest exporter of cement and clinker in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Aliko Dangote’s journey with cement began with a bold dream: to make Nigeria and Africa self-sufficient in cement production. Through strategic investments in state-of-the-art plants and a commitment to local content, he not only met that goal but exceeded it.
“Dangote Cement Plc has 52.0Mta capacity across the African continent, with Nigeria accounting for 35.25Mta. Currently, additional greenfield plants are coming up in Côte Ivoire (3.0Mta) and Itori, Nigeria (6.0 Mta) and on completion this year, will push total capacity to 61.0Mta. Under his visionary leadership, Dangote Cement Plc recorded the highest revenue and Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation in the history of the company. According to the unaudited results for the six months ending 30th June 2025, the group revenue went up by 17.7 per cent, from N1.76tn at the same period in 2024 to N2.07tn, representing the highest revenue in the history of the company,” the statement read.
The new Chairman of the Board of the Company, Ikazoboh in his acceptance speech, said he was truly honoured to accept the role of Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc while pledging to uphold the highest standards of leadership and dedication in this role.
He described the company as a beacon of African enterprise, which has consistently demonstrated resilience, innovation, and a commitment to excellence.
“Emmanuel Ikazoboh was previously the Group Chairman of Ecobank Transnational Inc., the Pan-African banking group. He started his professional career at Akintola Williams Deloitte.
“He first became the Managing Partner for francophone offices in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire and later became the Managing Partner of the Deloitte firm in West and Central Africa until 2009. In 2010, he was appointed by the Securities and Exchange as an Interim Administrator to carry out capital market reforms of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Central Securities Clearing System Plc,” the statement concluded.