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President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has warned that escalating tensions in the Middle East could push Nigeria and other African countries to adopt work-from-home measures similar to those used during the COVID-19 pandemic if the crisis worsens.
Dangote spoke on Monday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the president’s residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.
He expressed concern about the potential impact of fluctuating global oil prices on African economies, noting that many countries on the continent have limited financial reserves and depend heavily on daily economic activity.
“If this thing doesn’t de-escalate, you know, normally we in Africa, we don’t have any reserves in terms of savings,” Dangote said.
“And so, people normally go out and look for money for the next day or for even the same day. Some of them, if they don’t work that day, they won’t eat.”
He said rising energy costs and economic pressure could force governments and businesses to explore alternative work arrangements.
Dangote used Indonesia as an example, noting that authorities there have introduced a four-day work week and may consider broader remote-work policies if conditions worsen.
“In some countries today, what they’ve done, they asked everybody to work from home because they cannot afford it,” he said.
“I think Indonesians also only go to work four days a week. And they will look at the situation if it doesn’t improve, they will ask everybody not to go to work anymore. We will do like that time of COVID, where people will work from home.”
He warned that Africa could face significant economic strain from global disruptions, particularly as governments may struggle to increase wages to match rising living costs.
According to him, the effects would be most severe for small businesses and workers who rely on fuel-powered operations, including barbers, bakers and small manufacturers that depend on generators.
“People who are barbers, people who make bread, people who have industries, who have to pay for their own generators, you know, I mean, you can see what is happening,” Dangote said.
He called for swift global efforts to de-escalate the conflict, urging collective action to prevent further economic hardship.
“We just need all hands on deck to pray that this thing comes to an end,” he said.
