Aliko Dangote Pledges Increased Philanthropic Investment After Global Recognition
By Patience Ikpeme
Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, has made a commitment to dedicate greater financial resources to the upliftment of vulnerable populations across Nigeria and the wider African continent. This pledge comes as part of his ongoing philanthropic efforts to contribute to society.
Dangote’s statement was made on the sidelines of the TIME100 Impact Dinner, held at ASPIRE at the One World Observatory in New York City. The renowned entrepreneur was recently named among the top 100 philanthropists in an inaugural list released by TIME Magazine on May 22. This prestigious list includes other global personalities such as Michael Bloomberg, football icon David Beckham, NBA star Stephen Curry, Melinda Gates, and Oprah Winfrey.
The TIME Magazine list features Aliko Dangote, whose Foundation allocates an average of $35 million annually to programs across Africa. He is recognized alongside other global figures in charitable work, including Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates, all of whom are categorized as “Titans.”
Other prominent individuals on the list include David Beckham, Dolly Parton, Lisa Yang, Michael Dell and Susan Dell, Tsitsi and Strive Masiyiwa, Jack Ma, Alex Soros, Prince William, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, among others. A total of 100 influential individuals from 28 countries have been honored for their philanthropic contributions across four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators. Dangote is among the 23 individuals recognized as Titans.
TIME acknowledged Dangote’s remarkable journey to wealth, built through ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining in Nigeria, which has led to a fortune of $23.9 billion. However, his philanthropic endeavors are also notably substantial. In 2014, he endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, with the explicit goal of giving back to the continent that has played such a pivotal role in his success. The foundation consistently spends an average of $35 million each year on various initiatives throughout Nigeria and Africa.
“Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote stated, reflecting the core priorities of his foundation’s work.
Among the foundation’s current efforts is a multi-year initiative, valued at $100 million, aimed at combating severe childhood malnutrition.
Furthermore, an earlier vaccine program in Nigeria, developed in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other collaborators, contributed significantly to the World Health Organisation’s 2020 declaration that polio had been eradicated from Africa. Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country, was the last nation on the continent to achieve this milestone.
Education is another area where Dangote’s philanthropic efforts are making a considerable impact. He recently announced a $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, located in Kano State. Beyond this, his conglomerate has provided extensive infrastructural support to numerous tertiary institutions across the country.
In 2019, the Federal Government disclosed that a N1.2 billion hostel donated by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, represented the largest individual donation ever made to a university in Nigeria’s history at that time.
As a member of The Global Business Coalition for Education, the Aliko Dangote Foundation has also concentrated on early childhood education. Through the Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed) programme, local women—affectionately known as “Aunties”—receive training in Montessori-style education to become community educators in Kano.
The foundation’s investments in education include providing vocational training and offering scholarships at the secondary and tertiary levels. Additionally, it provides annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme. “We need to create the next generation of African leaders,” Dangote says, explaining his commitment to fostering long-term societal change.
“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. I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist.”
