Alhaji Aliko Dangote has been named as the Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2014.....beat it

NIGERIAN multi-billionaire Alhaji Aliko Dangote has been named as the Forbes Africa Person of the Year in recognition of his contributions towards developing commerce and his humanitarian activities across the continent.   In this year's awards, other finalists included Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s public protector; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Arunma Oteh, the director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank. In selecting Alhaji Dangote, the panel of judges noted that he is a lion of Africa in terms of business.   He was also adjudged to be second to none when it comes to investing in Africa, not just Nigeria and was also considered a capitalist with a big heart. According to the judges, Alhaji Dangote puts his money where his mouth is and his foundation is a step forward for a man who wants to make a difference on the continent.   While giving his acceptance speech, Alhaji Dangote said he considered it an honour to be nominated for the award and thanked the organisers for the privilege of choosing him. He added: "My thanks also go to my family for their unquantifiable support over the years and to my diligent staff for their uncommon dedication to duty.   "I would also like to thank my fellow Africans for believing in us and my numerous friends across the globe, who have been a source of inspiration. I will also like to specially recognise and commend the other nominees for making it up to this stage as their achievement is no mean feat, given the quality of the award.   “Of course there are challenges but which are not insurmountable as long as we stay united in our resolve to overcome them. If we all join hands together, we can emancipate Africa from poverty, ignorance and disease, the triple obstacles to our development as a people.” -