The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has announced a ₦1 trillion scholarship and education support programme.
Starting in 2026, the initiative will commit ₦100 billion annually for 10 years to support over 1.3 million vulnerable learners across all 774 local government areas.
Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group and ADF Chairman, described the scheme as a strategic investment in human capital, aimed at reducing inequality and driving national development.
He emphasised that financial hardship, rather than a lack of talent, is the primary reason many young Nigerians drop out of school.
The programme is structured into three main categories, deliberately targeting critical sectors for national growth:
Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars: 30,000 undergraduates in public universities and polytechnics will receive tuition support of up to ₦600,000 per year.
Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars: 5,000 trainees in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will receive essential study materials and technical tools.
MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars: 10,000 girls in public schools will receive uniforms, books, and supplies, with priority given to states with high out-of-school rates.
To ensure a transparent and merit-based selection and disbursement process, the scheme will utilise a fully digital system.
It is set for implementation in strong collaboration with key national institutions, including NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, NUC, NBTE, WAEC, and NECO, whose heads were present at the launch.
The long-term sustainability of the initiative is secured by Dangote’s formal pledge to allocate 25% of his wealth to the Aliko Dangote Foundation, with progress to be reviewed as part of the Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy.
The Programme Steering Committee, constituted to oversee implementation, is chaired by His Highness Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, Emir of Lafia.
Vice President Kashim Shettima lauded the intervention as the “single largest private-sector education support intervention in the history of this country.”
He described it as a demonstration of the critical role of private-sector actors in nation-building, noting that it strongly aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's education sector reforms.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, affirmed that the initiative is pure human capital development, supporting the administration's goal of transforming Nigeria into a knowledge-based economy.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, speaking for the 36 state governors, pledged their full support.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, in a virtual address, posited that the scholarship scheme will provide an environment for children to learn and for families to prosper.
In a direct address to young Nigerians, Dangote stated, “Your dreams matter. Your education matters. Your future matters. We believe in you. We are investing in you.”
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