Dangote Urges End to Medical Tourism, Advocates Local Drug Production in Nigeria

In a compelling appeal for healthcare reform and industrial self-reliance, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, has called on Nigerians to put an end to the country’s dependence on medical tourism and to begin producing pharmaceuticals domestically. The influential businessman made these statements at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event held in Lagos on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

During a panel session at the event, Dangote emphasized the urgency of ensuring that all Nigerians, regardless of their economic status, can access quality healthcare within the country. His comments reignited national conversations about the state of Nigeria’s health infrastructure and the urgent need for systemic transformation.

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Drug Production: Dangote Pushes for Health Independence

“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,” Dangote said. His vision includes collaboration with international philanthropists such as Bill Gates, whose foundation has already contributed significantly to Nigeria’s public health landscape.

Highlighting the success of previous partnerships with the Gates Foundation, Dangote referenced Nigeria’s eradication of polio and advancements in nutrition as evidence that coordinated public-private collaborations can deliver transformational results.

“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 partnership with Bill [Gates],” he stressed, making a passionate case for investing in local pharmaceutical infrastructure that can serve both the wealthy and the poor.

His remarks reflect a broader strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s self-reliance—not only in health but across critical economic sectors—through industrialization and innovation.

Dangote Spotlights Nigeria’s Industrial Transformation

Dangote used the Goalkeepers platform to share achievements his conglomerate has made in shifting Nigeria from a heavily import-dependent country to a regional production powerhouse. Citing the cement industry as an example, he noted that Nigeria, once the world’s second-largest importer of cement, is now the leading exporter of the product across Africa.

“In terms of business, we have done a lot by reversing a lot of things,” Dangote noted. “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 went on to highlight the remarkable transformation in the agricultural input sector, where access to fertilizer was once a major bottleneck for farmers. Today, Dangote Group operates the second-largest fertilizer plant in the world, located in Nigeria. This plant now supplies 37% of its output to the United States, marking a significant milestone in global competitiveness for Nigerian manufacturing.

The achievements extend into the energy sector as well. Dangote proudly detailed the establishment of the 650,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Dangote Refinery, a feat that he described as unprecedented. The refinery represents the largest single-train facility of its kind in the world and is capable of revolutionizing Nigeria’s fuel economy.

“In the month of May 2025 alone, the Dangote Refinery exported 400,000 metric tons of petrol,” he disclosed. This, he added, has effectively ended Nigeria’s long-standing reliance on imported petrol, contributing to energy security and economic savings.

A Call to Action for National Self-Reliance

Aliko Dangote’s message at the Goalkeepers event went beyond corporate achievements. It was a clarion call for Nigeria to seize its destiny by building capacity in sectors that directly impact the lives of its citizens. Health, agriculture, construction, and energy are no longer areas where Nigeria must remain dependent on foreign support, he argued.

His call to end medical tourism, in particular, underscores a growing awareness that national pride and resilience begin with systems that serve the population effectively at home. Dangote believes that through visionary leadership and meaningful partnerships, especially with global actors like the Gates Foundation, Nigeria can meet its own health and industrial needs.

By spotlighting his conglomerate’s contributions across multiple industries, Dangote illustrated what is possible when local potential is harnessed and developed. He left attendees and observers with a resounding message: the future of Nigeria must be built by Nigerians, for Nigerians.