By Stella Odueme
Africa’s foremost industrialist and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has been appointed Grand Patron of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF), in recognition of his contributions to entrepreneurship, industrial development and economic transformation across Africa.
The appointment was formally announced during a visit by the Board of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival to Dangote, where the delegation also presented him with a special recognition award for his longstanding contributions to business development and the growth of African enterprise.
The delegation was led by the President of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival, Dr. Summy Smart Francis, who described Dangote’s appointment as an important development for the global entrepreneurship movement.
Francis said Dangote’s decades of experience in building businesses, creating employment and investing across critical sectors of the African economy made him a significant addition to the Festival’s leadership and vision.
The engagement between the GEF leadership and Dangote was facilitated largely through the efforts of Dr. Elizabeth Jack-Rich, Vice Chairman of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival.
Jack-Rich played a central role in strengthening the relationship between the Festival and the business leader and in bringing the GEF leadership and Dangote together.
Her involvement, according to the Festival, reflects its commitment to creating stronger links between established African business leaders and emerging entrepreneurs, while promoting African enterprise within the global entrepreneurship ecosystem.
With Dangote as Grand Patron, the Festival is expected to deepen its engagement with entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, policymakers and institutions working to expand opportunities for businesses and promote enterprise-led economic development.
The appointment also reinforces the Festival’s efforts to leverage the experience and networks of prominent African business leaders in supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The Global Entrepreneurship Festival is scheduled to hold its 2026 edition in Egypt from November 6 to 8.
The event is expected to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, business executives, innovators, policymakers and institutional stakeholders from different parts of the world.
The 2026 edition is being positioned as an international platform for networking, investment opportunities, knowledge exchange and collaboration, with a focus on strengthening entrepreneurship and promoting sustainable enterprise development across Africa and beyond.
Dangote’s appointment as Grand Patron is therefore expected to add further prominence to the Festival and provide an opportunity for participants to draw from his extensive experience in building and expanding African businesses.