The number one thing that kills businesses in Africa is power -

In the words of Aliko Dangote, “The number one thing that kills businesses in Africa is power—or the lack of power,” we hear not merely the lament of an industrialist, but the voice of truth spoken for a continent. Here, power means more than wealth or influence—it is the force of electricity, the light that fuels machines, the current that sustains enterprise. Without it, ambition falters, and the labor of many hands withers before it bears fruit.

The lack of power is not an abstract complaint, but a daily storm that extinguishes hope. A factory may stand strong, its workers ready, its machines in place—but if the current fails, production halts, wages vanish, and dreams collapse. Dangote, who has built empires in trade and industry, reveals here the great paradox: Africa holds boundless resources and tireless talent, yet without reliable energy, the fire of prosperity flickers in the dark.

History recalls the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. It was not only the genius of invention but the harnessing of coal, steam, and later electricity that lifted nations into power. Where energy was abundant, progress surged; where it was scarce, stagnation reigned. In the same way, Dangote reminds us that the battle for Africa’s future will not be won by rhetoric alone, but by building the very infrastructure that allows creation to flourish.

His words also bear symbolic weight. For power is both literal and figurative: the electricity that drives factories, and the empowerment of people to shape their own destinies. To deny them reliable energy is to deny them agency, trapping them in dependence and thwarting their potential. To give them power is to unleash innovation, commerce, and dignity.

Thus, let this wisdom be passed on: nations rise not only on courage and vision, but on the foundation of power. Where there is no light, there can be no lasting growth. But where energy flows freely, the spark of enterprise can become a flame that illuminates generations. Dangote’s teaching is clear—if Africa is to rise to its full strength, it must conquer the night and give its people the power to build, create, and endure.