Boma Achenimie 
Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has called on Nigerians to end the reliance on medical tourism and prioritize local drug manufacturing to improve the nation’s healthcare sector.
Dangote made this appeal during a high-level panel session at the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event, on Wednesday held for the first time in Lagos, Nigeria.
Speaking at the event organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dangote emphasized the need for self-sufficiency in healthcare, urging both public and private sector stakeholders to invest in pharmaceutical production.
“What we need to do is to make sure we stop this health tourism and we should now get into starting to produce our own drugs,” Dangote stated.
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“We should now make sure that when we are sick, we don’t have to travel abroad — all of us. But we need to do a partnership with Bill [Gates],” he added.
Dangote highlighted the successes of the Dangote Foundation in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, particularly in eradicating polio and advancing nutrition programs across Nigeria.
He stressed that similar strategies could be used to strengthen the nation’s pharmaceutical sector and reduce dependency on foreign medical systems.
In addition to healthcare, Dangote discussed several key industrial milestones achieved by his group: Cement: Nigeria has shifted from being the world’s second-largest importer of cement to becoming Africa’s largest cement exporter, thanks to Dangote Cement’s massive investments in local production.
Fertilizer: He noted that Nigerian farmers once struggled to access fertilizers, but now, with the world’s second-largest fertilizer plant built by the Dangote Group, the country exports 37% of its fertilizer output to the United States.
Petroleum: Dangote also spoke on the landmark achievements of the 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Dangote Refinery, which began full operations in 2025.
“In the month of May 2025 alone, we exported 400,000 metric tons of petrol,” he said, announcing that Nigeria has completely ended petrol importation, thanks to the refinery.
The Goalkeepers event is a flagship initiative of the Gates Foundation, aimed at accelerating progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2025 edition in Lagos brought together world leaders, innovators, and policymakers.
Notable dignitaries in attendance included: Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Gates Foundation, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, Inuwa Yahaya, Governor of Gombe State, Aliko Dangote, representing African private sector leadership.
