September 19, 2026 by Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
Dangote to lead global entrepreneurship drive as festival Grand Patron
Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote has been appointed Grand Patron of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival, a move expected to strengthen the platform’s engagement with African business leaders and entrepreneurs.
The Global Entrepreneurship Festival board, led by President Dr Summy Smart Francis, formally announced the appointment to Dangote during a visit.
The delegation also presented the industrialist with a special recognition for his contributions to entrepreneurship, business development and economic transformation across Africa.
Speaking after receiving the appointment, Dangote expressed appreciation for the recognition and pledged to support the festival’s activities.
“It is a great pleasure to receive this award, and I promise I will do my best,” he said.
While presenting the certificate, Francis said Dangote’s decades of experience building businesses and investing across major sectors of the African economy made him a significant addition to the festival’s leadership structure.
The Vice Chairman of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival, Dr Elizabeth Jack-Rich, facilitated the engagement and said her experience with the festival’s mentorship programme encouraged her to seek opportunities to extend mentorship to a wider community of entrepreneurs.
“For me, as a mentee, I have seen tremendous growth since I joined the mentorship programme. That was why I reached out to extend such mentorship to millions of entrepreneurs out there, and I am so grateful for its acceptance,” Jack-Rich said.
Francis also presented Dangote with the festival’s “Global Wheel”, which he described as a symbol of the spread of entrepreneurship and collaboration among business leaders across regions worldwide.
According to him, the 2026 festival will feature conferences, networking sessions, breakout sessions, a Global Entrepreneurs Gala, a Global Deal Room, business exhibitions and a Global Leadership Forum.
Other programmes include an International Women’s Congress, an international fashion show, an art and creative economy programme and a closing concert.
The 2026 edition is scheduled to be held in Egypt from November 6 to 8, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, innovators, policymakers and institutions from different countries.
Speaking on the significance of the festival, Dangote said its major benefit was the opportunity it created for entrepreneurs and business leaders from different parts of Africa and beyond to connect and explore areas of collaboration.
“The main benefit of this is actually the connection. It is about connecting, merging and seeing what people can do together. You have people from North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and different countries coming together,” he said.
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