The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said having a male heir to take over his business empire is not a priority, noting that any of his three daughters could eventually lead the conglomerate.

Dangote made this known during an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, where he said he had been observing his daughters and believed one of them had the capacity to succeed him.

Asked if he could see one of his daughters taking charge of the Dangote Group, he said, “I think, yes, I can see one of them. I’ve been watching all of them, so I can definitely see one of the three that can actually lead.”

Dangote said his daughters’ involvement in the family business was driven by their personal interests rather than pressure from him.

“They are very, very interested in the business. I’m not forcing them to come and be part of this business, no. They are very interested, and they enjoy it,” he said.

The billionaire and Africa’s richest man added that he believed his daughters had the potential to surpass his achievements and take the Dangote Group to an even higher level.

“One of them can be better than — I never expected to perform this much,” he said.

“But I’m sure they’re highly educated, so they will be more creative. So most likely, they might be even taking the company to the next level.”

Asked whether he still hoped to have a son, particularly in light of traditional expectations around male heirs in Kano, Dangote said it was not important to him.

“Sometimes you can pray for God to give you a son, but that son might be the one to bring down the name of the family.

“Sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push. I don’t think a son would have done something better than these three daughters that I have. That one, I think, you know, it’s not my priority,” he said.

Dangote added that having a male heir did not necessarily guarantee the preservation of a family’s legacy.