Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc in Nigeria has confirmed the resignation of its Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ravindra Singhvi, effective 30 November 2025.
The disclosure was issued through a regulatory notice filed with the Nigerian Exchange, the body that oversees publicly listed companies in Nigeria, and offered no reason for his exit.
Singhvi, an Indian executive who joined the board in May 2020, leaves after leading the company through a period of operational expansion, digital upgrades and revenue growth. Under his tenure, the refinery strengthened internal structures, upgraded processing systems and deepened its position in West Africa’s competitive food-processing market.
The board acknowledged his role in stabilising operations and steering long-term projects across the sugar value chain. In its statement, signed by Temitope Hassan, Company Secretary and Legal Adviser, the company noted that Singhvi delivered “operational excellence” and contributed significantly to the firm’s strategic direction.
From 1 December 2025, South African executive Thabo Mabe will assume the role of Group Managing Director and CEO, pending shareholder approval at the company’s next general meeting. His appointment marks a key leadership transition within one of Africa’s largest sugar producers.
Mabe holds a BSc in Chemistry and Mathematics from Fort Hare University in South Africa, an institution known internationally for producing several African leaders. His career spans more than two decades across South Africa, Germany and Nigeria. He began at Unilever and became CEO of Unilever Nigeria in 2010, where he drove market-share expansion and strengthened production efficiency within the multinational’s West African operations.
He joined the Dangote Group in 2014 as Managing Director of Dangote Flour Mills, where he executed a major turnaround that moved the business from decline to profitability. After the Group exited the flour sector in 2019, he held senior roles in Dangote Rice and later served as Managing Director of NASCON Allied Industries, a major Nigerian consumer-goods company, from 2022.
Dangote Sugar stated that Mabe’s appointment aligns with its succession strategy and is intended to ensure continuity in leadership and long-term competitiveness. The board emphasised his experience in supply-chain operations, manufacturing systems and multi-market expansion as key strengths for the incoming phase of the business.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to governance stability during the transition. Industry analysts view the leadership shift as part of a broader corporate consolidation within Nigeria’s sugar sector, which plays a central role in the country’s food-processing and import-substitution agenda.
