We Must Stop Health Tourism, Africa Can Make Its Own Medicine And Build Its Own Health System

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man says Nigeria is no longer the country it used to be. From once being a heavy importer, the nation now leads exports in cement, fertilizers, and petrochemicals and he believes the same transformation can happen in healthcare.

Speaking at a recent event, Goalkeepers 2030 “Future of Progress: Africa in Motion” event, a project rooted in a bold vision for our continent’s future. Dangote highlighted the journey of Nigeria’s self-reliance in key industries, particularly cement, fertilizers, and petrochemicals. “Nigeria used to be the second-largest importer of cement in the world,” he noted. “Today, we have reversed that trend. Nigeria now exports cement more than any African country.”

Through the Dangote Group’s strategic investments, the country has not only met its domestic demand but is now contributing significantly to international markets. “We have built, from zero, the second-largest fertilizer plant in the world. Nigeria now exports 37% of our fertilizer to the United States of America,” he stated.

The industrialist also addressed the petrochemical sector. “Nigeria used to import about 350,000 metric tons of polypropylene. That will no longer happen. Not only are we meeting local demand, we will now export 600,000 metric tons to other African countries,” he said confidently.

But perhaps most striking is the completion of the Dangote Refinery, a feat that has captured global attention. “We studied the biggest refinery in the world by Saudi Aramco with a capacity of 430,000 barrels per day. We decided to do what had never been done before: a 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery. And we have delivered,” he declared.

This wave of industrial achievement, according to Dangote, must now extend to the healthcare sector, a vital area where Nigeria continues to lag behind. “There’s no reason we cannot replicate this kind of success in health. We must stop this health tourism. We should get into producing our own drugs,” he urged. “When you’re sick, you shouldn’t have to travel abroad. We must also look into forming partnerships, like with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to make real progress.”

Dangote’s vision is an urgent call for structural transformation, a challenge to Africa’s public and private sectors alike: if Nigeria can become a global industrial powerhouse, then it can equally become a center for health innovation and self-sufficiency.