No fewer than two million vulnerable women across Nigeria, including widows and victims of conflict, are set to benefit from a new share ownership initiative tied to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited Initial Public Offering (IPO), President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has announced.
Dangote disclosed the plan in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, while responding to a question from the Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Dr. Goje Mohammed.
The exchange centered on how government and private sector partnerships could help conflict-affected communities build sustainable financial futures through investment.
He said the Aliko Dangote Foundation would collaborate with state governments to ensure that women from vulnerable groups are able to take part in the refinery’s share offering and begin building long-term wealth through equity ownership.
“We are partnering with state governments to ensure that widows and other vulnerable women are able to buy shares in the refinery,” Dangote said.
Beyond helping women purchase shares, the Foundation plans to donate additional shares to participants as a way of boosting their investment and helping them build a lasting financial asset.
“Beyond enabling them to buy shares, the Foundation will also support them by donating additional shares that they can hold as savings for the future,” he explained.
Dangote said the programme is expected to reach as many as two million women nationwide, positioning it as one of the largest financial inclusion and women’s empowerment efforts connected to Nigeria’s capital market.
“We are looking at reaching about two million women through this initiative,” he added.
The intervention is part of the broader goals of the Dangote Refinery’s “People’s IPO,” which aims to democratise ownership of the refinery and allow more Nigerians to benefit from one of the country’s most significant private sector investments.
The initiative carries particular weight for conflict-affected states such as Yobe, where many widows and vulnerable households continue to grapple with economic hardship linked to years of insecurity. By opening access to investment opportunities, the partnership is intended to offer a pathway toward sustainable wealth creation and long-term financial security.
Dangote stressed that collaboration between the Foundation and state governments would provide a structured framework for supporting vulnerable women’s participation in the IPO, underscoring investment and equity ownership as tools for economic empowerment, financial inclusion and social development.
Through the initiative, ownership in the Dangote Refinery will be extended to some of Nigeria’s most vulnerable women, helping them build assets, secure their futures and take part directly in the growth of a major national enterprise.
