The Dangote Group has appointed Dr Pontsho B. Mokoena as Group Chief Risk Officer, reinforcing enterprise-wide risk governance as the conglomerate expands its industrial footprint across Africa.
The appointment, effective March 2026, places a seasoned risk management and insurance specialist at the centre of the group’s governance architecture at a time when Dangote is managing increasingly complex operations spanning cement manufacturing, fertiliser production, food processing, petrochemicals and oil refining.
In her new role, Mokoena will oversee Enterprise Risk Management, Insurance and Digital Transformation across the Dangote Group. Her mandate includes strengthening risk governance frameworks, improving organisational resilience and supporting strategic decision-making as the company pursues its Vision 2030 growth ambitions.
A risk specialist with actuarial and governance expertise
Before joining Dangote Group, Mokoena served as Executive for Risk and Insurance at Barloworld Limited, the Johannesburg-listed multinational industrial company with operations across Africa, Europe and Asia.
At Barloworld she led enterprise-wide risk architecture and insurance programmes across several jurisdictions, designing governance frameworks aimed at strengthening operational resilience and corporate oversight.
Her governance responsibilities also extended into fiduciary roles. She served as Principal Officer and Board Member of the Barloworld Medical Scheme and Principal Officer of the ONE Barloworld Retirement Fund, positions that involved oversight of institutional investments, regulatory compliance and financial governance.
Across these roles she chaired several governance structures including the Investment Committee, Administration and Ex Gratia Committee, Disputes Committee and RCC Committee, while also serving as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Academic background in predictive risk management
Mokoena’s professional career reflects a strong quantitative orientation toward risk analytics.
She holds an Executive Doctorate in Business Administration from the Paris School of Business, where her research focused on predictive risk management, a discipline combining data analytics and behavioural modelling to anticipate organisational risks.
She also earned a Master of Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Leicester, one of the leading training pathways into insurance and risk modelling professions.
Her executive education includes the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, reflecting a growing focus on the use of machine learning and data science in corporate risk analytics.
She previously obtained an Advanced Insurance Practice qualification from the University of South Africa and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Finance, Insurance and Risk Management from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Beyond her corporate roles, she is the founder of KHAUTA Risk Advisory, a consultancy specialising in enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, insurance and risk financing solutions, AI-driven risk analytics and governance advisory.
Her appointment also reflects a broader pattern within Dangote’s leadership structure: the growing presence of South African executives in senior operational and governance roles.
Thabo Mabe: leading Dangote’s sugar business
Another prominent South African executive within the Dangote ecosystem is Thabo Mabe, who was appointed Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc in 2025.
Mabe is a seasoned multinational executive with a career spanning consumer goods and manufacturing. Before joining the Dangote Group, he held senior roles at Unilever, including serving as Managing Director of Unilever Nigeria, where he oversaw the company’s consumer goods operations in one of its largest African markets.
Within the Dangote Group he has previously served as CEO of Dangote Flour Mills and later Managing Director of NASCON Allied Industries, one of Nigeria’s leading salt producers.
His appointment to lead Dangote Sugar comes at a critical time as the company accelerates its backward integration strategy, which aims to expand domestic sugar production through large-scale agricultural investments.
South Africa’s influence in Dangote Cement
Dangote’s relationship with South Africa extends beyond executive appointments into industrial partnerships.
The company’s South African cement business operates through Sephaku Cement, a joint venture with Sephaku Holdings, a Johannesburg-listed industrial group.
The partnership reflects Dangote Cement’s broader strategy of combining Nigerian capital with regional industrial expertise as it builds cement plants across Africa.
South Africa’s mature mining and construction industries have historically provided a pool of engineers, plant managers and technical specialists with experience in large-scale industrial projects — expertise that has proven valuable to expanding African conglomerates.
Why Dangote recruits from South Africa
Several structural factors explain why Dangote and other large African companies often recruit senior executives from South Africa.
Deep corporate management experience
South Africa has one of the continent’s most developed corporate sectors, with multinational companies in mining, logistics, finance and manufacturing.
Executives emerging from these industries often bring experience managing large, complex operations across multiple jurisdictions, skills that align with Dangote’s continental ambitions.
Strong governance frameworks
South Africa’s corporate governance standards — shaped by the King Reports on Corporate Governance — are among the most developed in emerging markets.
Executives trained in this environment typically have extensive experience in board governance, audit oversight, compliance and risk management, areas that have become increasingly important as Dangote raises international capital and partners with global institutions.
Industrial and engineering expertise
The country’s long history in mining and heavy industry has produced deep technical expertise in large-scale industrial operations, from supply chains and engineering to logistics and industrial finance.
Such expertise is particularly relevant for Dangote’s cement plants, fertiliser facilities and refinery operations.
Building a multinational leadership model
Over the past decade the Dangote Group has gradually evolved from a Nigerian industrial conglomerate into a pan-African industrial platform.
The company now operates cement plants in more than ten African countries and has invested heavily in petrochemicals, fertiliser production and oil refining.
Managing such a diversified industrial empire requires a leadership structure comparable to those of multinational corporations.
By recruiting senior executives from across Africa — including South Africa — Dangote is assembling a multinational management team capable of navigating complex regulatory, financial and operational environments.
The appointment of Dr Pontsho Mokoena as Chief Risk Officer signals the importance of the risk governance function within that structure.
