•Spends N50bn Annually Through Foundation, Targets Malnutrition, Education, Health
Africa’s richest man and leading philanthropist, Aliko Dangote, has pledged to significantly scale up investments aimed at uplifting vulnerable populations across Nigeria and the African continent.
This renewed commitment comes as he gains international recognition, having been named one of TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Philanthropists in the world.
Dangote made the pledge on the sidelines of the TIME100 Impact Dinner, held at ASPIRE at the One World Observatory in New York City, USA.
The event, hosted by TIME Magazine, celebrated 100 global changemakers recognised for their far-reaching impact across four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators.
Dangote, who emerged as one of only 23 individuals designated as “Titans,” joined an illustrious cohort that includes Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett, David Beckham, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
The list features changemakers from 28 countries who have shaped the world through their philanthropic commitments.
TIME spotlighted Dangote’s remarkable journey from an industrial magnate, having amassed a $23.9 billion fortune through cement, agriculture, and oil refining, to one of the world’s foremost givers.
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| L-R: Chief Executive Officer, TIME, Jessica Sibley, President/CE, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, Group Executive Director, Commercial Operations (DIL), Fatima Aliko Dangote and Managing Director/CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, attending TIME100 Impact Dinner, at One World Observatory in New York City. |
His philanthropic arm, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), currently spends more than $35 million (over N50 billion) annually on various development programmes across Africa.
“In addition to business, investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote stated.
“My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago.
“I trust my three daughters will continue this legacy, just as they will continue to grow our business and impact,” he stated.
Dangote’s commitment is not just symbolic. In 2014, he endowed ADF with a historic $1.25 billion, setting the stage for unprecedented interventions in public health, education, and economic empowerment across the continent. One of the Foundation’s flagship programmes is a $100 million multi-year initiative targeting severe childhood malnutrition in Nigeria.
Additionally, ADF played a pivotal role in eradicating polio in Nigeria through a vaccine partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other global actors, an effort which contributed to the World Health Organisation’s declaration of Africa as polio-free in 2020.
The Foundation’s interventions in education are equally profound. Earlier this year, Dangote donated $10 million to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano.
He has also built major infrastructure for higher education institutions, including a N1.2 billion student hostel donated to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the single largest donation by an individual to any Nigerian university at the time.
The Foundation is also focused on early childhood education through its innovative “Mu Shuka Iri” (Let’s plant a Seed) programme in Kano, where local women are trained in Montessori techniques to serve as community educators.
Dangote believes that educating the youth is central to creating Africa’s next generation of leaders.
“We need to create the next generation of African leaders,” he said.
“That’s why we are investing not only in infrastructure but also in people. It’s about building long-term societal change,” Dangote added.
The Foundation also supports vocational training, provides scholarships at secondary and tertiary levels, and offers annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme.
As Dangote garners international accolades for his philanthropic efforts, he remains grounded in his mission to do more.
“I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person, but also as its biggest philanthropist,” he declared.
With a growing legacy of transformational giving, Aliko Dangote is not only reshaping Africa’s business landscape but also redefining what it means to lead with purpose.
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