Pascal Gabriel Dozie, the founder of Diamond Bank and former chairman of MTN Nigeria, has died at the age of 85.
His family confirmed his passing in a statement on Tuesday, April 8, 2025—just a day before his 86th birthday.
Born in April 1939 in Egbu, Owerri, Imo State, Dozie studied Economics at the London School of Economics and later earned a Master’s degree in Administrative Science from City University, London. He returned to Nigeria in the 1970s and established the African Development Consulting Group (ADCG), providing services to both public and private sector clients.
In 1990, Dozie founded Diamond Bank with a startup capital of ₦10 million. Under his leadership, the bank grew into one of Nigeria’s top financial institutions. He served as its chairman and CEO until 2006. Diamond Bank later merged with Access Bank in 2019.
He also played a key role in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry as a founding investor and the first chairman of MTN Nigeria, helping steer the company’s early growth.
Dozie served on various national boards and received national honours including Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
He is survived by his wife and five children. Tributes from across Nigeria have praised his contributions to the country’s banking and telecom sectors.
