Lagos, April 25, 2025 – The World Bank has appointed Aliko Dangote, the Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab.
With the appointment, Dangote is, joining a select group of global business leaders tasked with driving investment and job creation in emerging economies.
The World Bank announced the appointment on Wednesday as part of a broader expansion of its Private Sector Investment Lab, which now enters a new phase aimed at scaling up solutions to attract private capital and create jobs in the developing world.
Joining Dangote in the elite group are Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chair of Bharti Enterprises; and Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
The World Bank said the expanded membership had brought together business leaders with proven track records in generating employment in developing economies, supporting the Bank’s sharpened focus on job creation as a central pillar of global development.
“With the expanded membership, we are mainstreaming this work across our operations and tying it directly to the jobs agenda that is driving our strategy.,” said
“This isn’t about altruism—it’s about helping the private sector see a path to investments that will deliver returns, and lift people and economies alike. It’s central to our mandate,” the World Bank Group President, Ajay Banga, said.
The bank said the Lab had brought together leaders from global financial institutions to identify the most pressing barriers to private sector investment in developing countries and to test actionable solutions over the last 18 months.
It said that the work had now been consolidated into five priority focus areas that were being integrated across the bank operations, including regulatory and policy certainty.
Dangote confirmed his acceptance of the offer in a statement.
“I am both honoured and excited to accept my appointment to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, dedicated to advancing investment and employment in emerging economies.
“This opportunity aligns with my long-standing commitment to sustainable development and unlocking the potential of developing economies.
“Drawing inspiration from the remarkable successes of the Asian Tigers, which have demonstrated the power of strategic investment and focused economic policy, I am eager to collaborate with fellow leaders to replicate such outcomes across other regions,” Dangote wrote in the statement.
