For more than four decades, Samuel Dossou-Aworet has been a central figure in Africa’s economic story. An engineer by training, a businessman of international repute, a respected advocate for Africa’s private sector, and a philanthropist deeply invested in education and human development, he stands as one of the continent’s most enduring voices for transformation. His life’s work reflects both the challenges Africa has faced and the remarkable possibilities that lie ahead.
From his early career in Gabon’s hydrocarbons sector to his leadership roles within OPEC and the African Petroleum Producers Association, Dossou-Aworet has consistently found himself at the heart of Africa’s strategic industries. The founding of Petrolin Group in London in 1992 marked a new chapter, one in which he helped shape a Pan-African energy and infrastructure company with operations stretching across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Today, as President and Chairman of the board of the African Business Roundtable (ABR), he continues to champion a vision of African-led growth rooted in partnership, inclusion, and long-term thinking.
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Speaking to African Leadership Magazine during an exclusive interview about ABR’s mission, Dossou-Aworet is both direct and passionate: “Our central task is to strengthen Africa’s private sector in all its diversity, to foster genuine private-sector-led growth, and to build durable relationships with governments and global partners that can unlock both investment and trade opportunities for our continent. This is not an abstract ambition; it is a practical roadmap that guides the work we do every day.”
This roadmap has taken visible form. Under his leadership, ABR has organised high-level forums in Abidjan, Abuja, and beyond, bringing together entrepreneurs, policymakers, and financiers to ensure that African businesses are not passive beneficiaries of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), but active architects of its success.
Petrolin’s own projects exemplify this vision. The Backbone Project in Benin—an integrated rail, port, and airport corridor—goes beyond infrastructure. For Dossou-Aworet, it is “about opening doors to new opportunities for every African entrepreneur and worker, wherever they are, and enabling them to compete and succeed with the tools and resources already within their reach.”
At the same time, he is clear-eyed about Africa’s energy realities. While hydrocarbons remain central to industrialisation, he insists on a responsible transition. “Africa needs hydrocarbons to fuel its growth, but we must use them responsibly, adopting cleaner technologies, reducing waste, and building the infrastructure that ensures energy is both sustainable and accessible,” he explains.
Financing remains another frontier, and here he calls for creativity and courage. “It is not enough to wait for international capital to come in. We must find ways of unlocking African capital for African-led projects, ensuring that our young people and women have the financial tools they need to scale their ideas into businesses that serve communities and create wealth.”
Beyond business, Dossou-Aworet’s commitment to education and social investment has been constant. Through Fondation Espace Afrique and other initiatives, he has established schools, supported universities, and created spaces where Africa’s youth can flourish. “Our youth remain our continent’s greatest and most renewable resource, and if we fail to equip them with the skills, mentorship, and confidence they need, then we risk squandering the single most decisive advantage Africa has in this century.”
Asked about the principles that guide him, he returns often to three words: solidarity, discipline, and affection. “We have always believed that solidarity, discipline, and affection are not just slogans but a true philosophy of leadership. They allow us to collaborate beyond borders, to build trust across cultures, and to show the world that African businesses can be as ethical and as visionary as they are ambitious.”
For Samuel Dossou-Aworet, Africa’s future is not a distant dream. It is being built in the present through infrastructure, entrepreneurship, education, and collective confidence. “We are already walking towards our future,” he reflects, “and what matters now is that our leaders, both political and economic, walk with the same confidence and sense of responsibility that our people deserve.”
