KEY POINTS
- Dangote Sugar leadership change signals strategic continuity.
- Appointment supports long-term expansion ambitions.
- Mabe brings global operational experience.
South African executive Thabo Mabe is set to take over leadership of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, marking one of the most significant internal transitions within the Dangote industrial empire in recent years.
The move places the long-time consumer goods operator at the helm of Nigeria’s largest sugar producer, a business central to Aliko Dangote’s long-term backward-integration strategy.
The company announced the appointment in a regulatory filing on the Nigerian Exchange, confirming that current Group Managing Director Ravindra Singhvi will step down on November 30, 2025. Mabe will assume the top job the following day, subject to shareholder approval.
Thabo Mabe rises inside Dangote Group
Mabe built his early career at Unilever, beginning as a graduate trainee after earning a Chemistry and Mathematics degree from South Africa’s Fort Hare University. He worked across manufacturing and supply chain roles before rising to Vice President, Supply Chain for Unilever’s HPC division in 2004.
After the company merged its home and foods units, he became Vice President, Homecare and later joined the board of Unilever Nigeria Plc. He eventually became CEO, which led to more market share and better production efficiency.
He became the CEO of Dangote Flour Mills in 2014 and led the company back to profitability after years of losses. Following the group’s exit from the flour business in 2019, Mabe moved to Dangote Rice and later NASCON Allied Industries, where he oversaw the salt and seasonings operations.
His experience working in South Africa, Germany and Nigeria positions him as a key figure in the group’s ongoing succession strategy, especially as the conglomerate deepens vertical integration across its food businesses.
Dangote Sugar targets $700 million expansion
According to Billionaires Africa, Dangote Sugar is preparing a major expansion push worth more than $700 million. The plan includes land development, machinery upgrades, infrastructure expansion, staff training and new community-development programmes.
The goal is to further lift domestic raw-sugar supply and reduce reliance on imports that continue to pressure the company’s margins.
The producer currently has capacity of 1.44 million metric tons a year. Revenue for the first nine months of 2025 grew to N626.24 billion, up from N484.42 billion a year earlier. Losses narrowed sharply to N10.59 billion from N184.4 billion in the same period of 2024, signalling one of the company’s strongest operational turnarounds in recent years.
