Aliko Dangote Named Among TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Global Philanthropists
By Patience Ikpeme
Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has been recognized in the inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list, which identifies the 100 most influential leaders shaping the future of charitable work worldwide. Dangote is the sole Nigerian to feature on this distinguished list.
The prestigious list, released by TIME Magazine on Tuesday, features Aliko Dangote alongside other prominent global figures in philanthropy such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates. All of these individuals are recognized as “Titans” within the philanthropic sector.
Other notable names 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 efforts across four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators, with Dangote being one of the 23 individuals classified as Titans.
TIME acknowledged Dangote’s remarkable journey to wealth, having built a fortune of $23.9 billion through his ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining in Nigeria. However, the publication equally notes his significant philanthropic contributions. In 2014, he endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, with the stated goal of giving back to the continent that played such a crucial role in his business success. The foundation allocates an average of $35 million annually to various initiatives across Nigeria and Africa.
“Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote stated, reflecting the foundation’s primary areas of focus. Among the foundation’s current efforts is a $100 million multi-year initiative dedicated to combating severe childhood malnutrition.
Furthermore, an earlier vaccine program in Nigeria, developed in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other organizations, contributed 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 efforts are making a substantial impact. He recently announced a $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, located in Kano State. Beyond this, the conglomerate has provided extensive infrastructural support to numerous tertiary institutions across the country.
In 2019, the Federal Government revealed that a N1.2 billion hostel donated by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was, at the time, the largest donation ever made by an individual to a Nigerian university.
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 both 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 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.”
