- Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, shared a striking anecdote about Burna Boy while speaking at a major industrialisation event
- Dangote called out what he described as negative stereotyping of Nigerians, urging a focus on positive cultural figures instead
- The billionaire's comments about the Afrobeats star sparked a wave of reactions from fans online
Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, has thrown his weight behind Burna Boy, describing the Afrobeats superstar as one of Nigeria's most powerful global ambassadors.
Dangote made the remarks on Monday, October 19, while addressing guests at a Dangote Vision 2030 event centred on accelerating Africa's industrialisation. During his speech, he recalled a personal experience that left a strong impression on him.
Source: Instagram
"The first time I went to Grenada, the first billboard that I saw was Burna Boy," the billionaire industrialist revealed.
Dangote's call to shift the narrative
Rather than dwelling on negative portrayals of Nigerians in international media, Dangote urged a deliberate shift in public conversation. He argued that figures like Burna Boy represent the kind of soft power Africa should be celebrating and amplifying.
"These are our ambassadors, and this is what we need to be talking about. We should not be talking about somebody in Nigeria who was caught with drugs elsewhere, we are not the only ones, other countries have these issues, but some of us over blow these issues to demarket ourselves," he said.
His words drew attention to the contrast between how drug-related incidents involving Nigerians abroad tend to dominate headlines, while the global cultural reach of artists like Burna Boy often goes without the same level of recognition at home.
The two men are not strangers. In 2025, Dangote and Burna Boy were spotted together at an Iftar dinner during Ramadan, where the singer was seen greeting the billionaire with visible warmth and respect.
Source: Instagram
The video of Dangote speaking about Burna Boy at an event is below:
Reactions to Dangote's support for Burna Boy
Social media users were quick to weigh in on Dangote's comments, with many celebrating what they saw as a well-deserved recognition of the Grammy-winning artist. Read the comments from Twitter below:
@Stepheniswicked wrote:
"Burna boy is the face of African music globally."
@OllieOkewu reacted:
"Burna boy is far gone ♥️🦍"
@ThatPhCityboy7G commented:
"una go dey Wonder why Burna dey sell out stadiums everywhere"
@Lexis_Entapo shared:
"Richest black man hyping the richest and most popular African artiste ever"
@iam_kinglaju said:
"Richest black man hyping the richest and most popular African artiste ever.. 🐐 🔥❤️🇳🇬"
@iamdonfelix wrote:
"Face of African music"
Burna Boy and Zubby Michael's handshake
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that something about the way actor Zubby Michael and Burna Boy greeted each other had the internet talking.
The Nollywood actor shared a clip of himself exchanging pleasantries with Grammy-winning artist Burna Boy. While the brief interaction itself was not unusual, it was the handshake between the two that stopped people mid-scroll.
Source: Legit.ng
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