VIDEO: Like COVID, US-Iran war may impose work-from-home policy — Dangote

President of the Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has warned that the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran could disrupt economies globally and may eventually force countries, including Nigeria, to consider work-from-home arrangements similar to what was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dangote made this known while speaking to journalists after visiting Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday, following the President’s two-day state visit to the United Kingdom.

Speaking on the outcome of the visit, Dangote said, “So I believe his own visit will open quite a lot of doors. And you can see the agreement that was signed for actually improving our infrastructure, especially in the ports and other areas, which is almost 746 million pounds. That’s quite a lot.”

He noted that securing such funding reflects growing international confidence in Nigeria’s economy. “It has not been, you know, it’s not that easy dealing with British getting this kind of money out of them. They too, they are struggling on their own. But I think this is to show confidence.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the confidence in Nigeria. So the moment that they do that, there will be other countries that will follow suit,” he said.

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Dangote added that the development creates new opportunities for Nigerian investors to access international funding. “For Nigerian investors, you know, it has shown that we can also go to the same agency and tap the resources. It means that the agency now is open for business for Nigerians.”

On the broader global situation, he warned that rising tensions in the Middle East could worsen economic conditions, particularly for African countries. “Well, it means quite a lot. We don’t have much to do with it. But you know, the world is a global village, and it definitely will affect us, unfortunately.”

He expressed concern about the impact on energy prices and the ripple effects across sectors. “If you look at it now, you know, when you talk about energy, energy affects almost everything… if this thing doesn’t de-escalate, it is going to keep going up and up and up.”

Dangote also highlighted the potential strain on governments and citizens, especially in economies with limited buffers. “Africa is very busy paying debt. And putting this again on top of us is going to add a lot of hardship on people, on the government, on the people, on everybody.”

Drawing parallels with the COVID-19 period, he suggested that prolonged instability could force changes in work patterns.

“I mean, if it doesn’t improve, they will ask everybody not to go to work anymore. We’ll do like that time of COVID where people will now go and work from home.”

He added by calling for de-escalation, stressing the vulnerability of many Africans to economic shocks. “If they don’t work that day, they won’t eat. So I think really we just need all hands on deck to pray that this thing comes to an end.”

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