Who is Arnold Onyekwere Ekpe; Newly Appointed Chairman of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

Arnold Onyekwere Ekpe has been elected to take over from Billionaire Aliko Dangote as Chairman of the Dangote Sugar Refinery after his retirement after 20 years was announced on Wednesday in a statement signed by the company’s secretary, Temitope Hassan.

This has thrust the hitherto little-known Mr. Arnold Onyekwere Ekpe into the limelight with very big shoes to fill as the Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, in this article we dig a bit into the life of the newly appointed chairman.

Academic Background

Mr. Arnold Onyekwere Ekpe who is a renowned Nigerian banker and corporate leader with a career spanning over four decades was born in August 1953. He holds a First-Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manchester and an MBA from Manchester Business School. His early professional career began at Schlumberger as a Wireline Logging Engineer.

Transition Into Finance

He transitioned into banking, taking up key roles at International Merchant Bank and Citibank Nigeria in the 1980s. He served as the group CEO of Ecobank from 1996 to 2001, and 2005 to 2012 leading Ecobank’s expansion from operations in five countries to 36 countries across Africa with total assets growing from $2 billion to over $20 billion.

His most notable spell came as group CEO of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) between 2002 to 2004 where he helped stabilize the institution and improve its financial health, particularly through better asset quality and disciplined financial practices.

He was also responsible for laying the groundwork for the landmark merger between UBA and Standard Trust Bank, which was completed in 2005 shortly after his departure.

Mr. Ekpe has also served as a partner at African Capital Alliance and held board or advisory positions at institutions such as Atlas Mara, Baobab Microfinance Group, Aavishkaar Group, Crown Agents Bank, and Equator Capital Partners.

Dangote Sugar Refinery Career

Mr. Ekpe joined the Dangote Plc in 2013 as a Non-Executive Director, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, and from 2015, he joined Dangote Flour Mills Plc, as Non-Executive Director up until 2019.

Mr. Arnold Ekpe joined the Board of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc on October 28, 2024, as an Independent Non-Executive Director before his appointment as Chairman in June 2025.

The Finance expert is expected to guide the company through its next phase of growth and sustainability especially amid financial volatility such as the US $16.1 million loss reported by Dangote Sugar Refinery in late 2024.

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