Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, has called on Nigerians to end medical tourism and focus on local drug production. The African business mogul made this statement during a panel discussion at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Goalkeepers event held in Lagos on Wednesday.

"What we need to do is to make sure we stop this health tourism and we should now get in to start producing our own drugs. We should now make sure that when we are sick, we don't have to travel abroad, all of us, but we need to do a partnership with Bill (Gates)," Dangote stated.

Partnerships for Healthcare Advancement

Africa's richest man highlighted how the Dangote Foundation, through its partnership with the Gates Foundation, has contributed significantly to ending polio in Nigeria and improving nutrition across the country. He emphasized the importance of such collaborations in transforming Nigeria's healthcare landscape.

Dangote stressed that every Nigerian, including the wealthy, should be able to receive quality medical treatment within the country rather than seeking healthcare abroad. This shift, according to him, would require strategic partnerships and investments in local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Dangote's Economic Transformation Efforts

During the event, Dangote also highlighted his group's contributions to Nigeria's economic transformation across various sectors. He noted how his company reversed Nigeria's status from being the second-largest cement importer globally to becoming a major cement exporter in Africa.

"In terms of business, we have done a lot by reversing many things. Nigeria used to be the second largest importer of cement in the world, but now we export cement more than any other African country," he said.

The industrialist further mentioned his achievements in the fertilizer sector, having built the second-largest fertilizer plant globally. "Nigeria now exports 37% of our fertilizer to the United States of America," Dangote revealed, highlighting how this has transformed access to fertilizer for Nigerian farmers.

In the petroleum sector, Dangote spoke about his 650,000 barrels per day refinery, which exported 400,000 metric tons of petrol in May 2025 alone. This development, he noted, has ended Nigeria's dependency on imported petrol.

About the Goalkeepers Event

The Goalkeepers event, hosted for the first time in Lagos by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, brought together global leaders, policymakers, and change makers to assess progress toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Notable attendees included Bill Gates, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya, among other dignitaries.