Dangote Unveils Share Sale Consisting of Exactly One Share, Now Touring the Country by Post
Africa's richest man says he wants ordinary people to feel like owners, so ownership will simply visit each of them in turn.
Aliko Dangote's office confirmed this week that the continent's largest share sale will be fulfilled by a single certificate, currently laminated for durability, that will travel from household to household by courier on a strict weekly rotation.
According to the schedule, each citizen who applied will receive the share for seven days, during which they are entitled to display it, photograph it, and refer to themselves as a shareholder in casual conversation, before repackaging it for the next recipient.
"We wanted true participation, not just paperwork," said a spokesperson for the initiative, adjusting a courier's cap. "Everyone gets a turn holding the actual future of the refinery, which is heavier than you'd expect."
Early recipients have reported mixed experiences. One man in a rural town said the share arrived a day late due to a queue at the post office, which he noted was, if anything, a very on-brand delay for a fuel company to cause.
The rotation is expected to take several decades to complete a single full cycle among applicants, at which point organizers say they will consider whether to laminate a second share.