Dangote Pledges Increased Philanthropic Investment to Uplift Vulnerable Africans, Attends TIME100 Impact Dinner

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. 

NEW YORK, USA –Africa's foremost humanist and Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), Aliko Dangote, has pledged to significantly increase his philanthropic investments aimed at uplifting vulnerable populations across Nigeria and the broader African continent. Dangote made this commitment on the sidelines of the prestigious TIME100 Impact Dinner held at ASPIRE at the One World Observatory in New York City. 

The event followed his recognition on the inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list, released by TIME Magazine on Tuesday, May 22. Dangote is the sole Nigerian to be featured on this distinguished list, which highlights the 100 most influential leaders shaping the future of philanthropy worldwide. He stands among global figures in charitable work such as Michael Bloomberg, football icon David Beckham, NBA star Stephen Curry, Melinda Gates, and Oprah Winfrey, all recognized as "Titans" of philanthropy.

Other prominent names on the list include Dolly Parton, Lisa Yang, Michael Dell and Susan Dell, Tsitsi and Strive Masiyiwa, Jack Ma, Alex Soros, and British royals Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. A total of 100 influential individuals from 28 countries were honored across four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators, with Dangote emerging as one of the 23 Titans.

TIME Magazine highlighted Dangote’s remarkable rise to wealth, having built a fortune of $23.9 billion through successful ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining in Nigeria. However, his philanthropic efforts are equally noteworthy. In 2014, he endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with a substantial $1.25 billion, driven by the aim of giving back to the continent that played such a pivotal role in his success. The Foundation reportedly spends an average of $35 million (over N50 billion) each year on various impactful initiatives across Nigeria and Africa.

"Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success," Dangote remarked, articulating the foundation's core priorities.

Among the foundation’s significant ongoing 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, was instrumental in the World Health Organization’s 2020 declaration that polio had been eradicated from Africa. Nigeria, as the continent's most populous nation, was the last country to achieve this milestone.

Education is another key area where Dangote is 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 Dangote conglomerate has consistently provided extensive infrastructural support to various tertiary institutions across the country. In 2019, the Federal Government revealed that the **N1.2 billion hostel donated by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, stood as the largest individual donation ever made to a university in Nigeria's history at that time.**

As a committed member of The Global Business Coalition for Education, the Aliko Dangote Foundation has also concentrated efforts on early childhood education. Through its "Mu Shuka Iri" (Let’s Plant a Seed) programme, local women, affectionately known as “Aunties,” are trained in Montessori-style education to become community educators in Kano.

The foundation’s broader investments in education encompass providing vocational training, offering scholarships at secondary and tertiary levels, and facilitating annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme. "We need to create the next generation of African leaders,” Dangote affirmed, underscoring his deep commitment to fostering long-term societal change.

Reflecting on his motivation, Dangote shared, “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.”