27/09/2025
Two Brothers – Aminu Dantata (left) and Sanusi Dantata (right)
Aminu (b. 1935) and Sanusi Dantata (b. 1919) were towering figures in Northern Nigeria’s economy during the 1960s–1970s groundnut boom, a period symbolized by the famous groundnut pyramids of Kano. These massive stacks of bagged groundnuts, awaiting export, became an icon of Nigeria’s agricultural wealth. The brothers together supplied more than half of the Northern Nigeria Marketing Board’s annual groundnut purchases, cementing their influence in trade.
Sanusi Dantata, a pioneering merchant and philanthropist, was also the maternal grandfather of Aliko Dangote. After the death of Dangote’s father, Sanusi adopted and raised him, nurturing the young boy who would later become Africa’s richest businessman. Aminu Dantata, meanwhile, carried forward the family’s entrepreneurial legacy, expanding into commerce and playing a prominent role in philanthropy and community development.
Source: Kano trade history and family records.