Aliko Dangote: Succeeding Where Others Fear to Tread

The case provides a rich backdrop to examine the nuances of building a successful business operation in emerging and frontier markets.  It allows for a close examination of the interplay between multiple forces including political, institutional, and commercial dimensions and how successful firms navigate these forces that sometimes work at cross purposes to each other. The story of Dangote is one that is replete with a lot of insights relating to the acumen of owners in such contexts where they are called upon to deftly navigate their business against changing currents in the pursuit of their vision. The study provides all the requisite elements to discuss a wide range of issues such as doing business in emerging markets, navigating institutional voids, and addressing market failures. Given the conglomerate nature of Dangote, it also raises interesting contrasts about the rationale behind the success of these forms of organizations in emerging and frontier markets while their counterparts in developed countries have faded into oblivion.