George Calil

Who is George Calil?

George Calil was a Levantine businessman who was originally from Lebanon. He was a major groundnut trader in the 1940s-1960s, and was one of the earliest entrepreneurs who invested in manufacturing units in the city of Kano and other parts of the country.

George Calil arrived in Kano in 1928, and soon joined the groundnuts trade. He was able to win minimal concessions from the commodity control boards which allowed him to become a produce agent. In 1951, he founded an oil processing mill in Kano, he later established a few foundries producing tea kettles and silver plates and supplying casting materials to the Nigerian Railway Corporation and a few other local plants. He died in 1967, and his business was transferred to his son, Ely Calil.