Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has issued a bold wake-up call to business leaders: keep your money in Africa and build the continent from within.

Hosting a group of top African CEOs at his massive refinery in Lagos, Dangote didn’t hold back. He challenged wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs to stop exporting capital and start funding projects that will tackle Africa’s real problems—like joblessness, poor infrastructure, and weak local industries.

“If we don’t believe in our own countries, why should anyone else?” he asked. “I don’t take my money out of Africa—and I never will.”

Dangote said Africa has the talent, the resources, and the market—it just needs bold investments and fewer excuses.

He used his $20 billion oil refinery as proof that big things can happen on African soil, noting that many once doubted the project would succeed. Now completed, the refinery is the largest of its kind in the world and a major symbol of African industrial power.

He also pointed out the absurdity of regional trade barriers: “It’s cheaper to ship goods from Europe than from Nigeria to Ghana,” he said, calling for better connectivity and serious action on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The CEOs, who are part of the Global CEO Africa Programme, left inspired. Leaders from Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, and other countries vowed to think bigger—and act bolder.

“This visit proved that Africa’s future is in our hands,” said one participant. “If Dangote can pull this off, so can we.”