Time Magazine Names Aliko Dangote Among Top 100 Philanthropists in the World

LAGOS, Nigeria – May 20, 2025 – 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. This prestigious list, published by TIME Magazine on Tuesday, honors the 100 most influential leaders shaping the future of philanthropy globally. Dangote is the sole Nigerian to be included on this distinguished list. 

The TIME100 Philanthropy list features Aliko Dangote, whose Foundation reportedly spends an average of $35 million (over N50 billion) annually on programs across Africa. He is recognized as a "Titan" alongside other prominent global figures in charitable work, including Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates. 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.

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 Titans.

TIME highlighted Dangote’s remarkable journey to wealth, having built a fortune of $23.9 billion through ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining in Nigeria. Equally significant are his philanthropic endeavors. In 2014, he endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, aiming to give back to the continent that played a crucial role in his success. The foundation consistently dedicates an average of $35 million each year 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 remarked, underscoring the foundation's core priorities.

Among the foundation’s ongoing efforts is a **$100 million multi-year initiative dedicated to combating severe childhood malnutrition.**

Furthermore, a previous vaccine program in Nigeria, developed in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other collaborators, was instrumental in the World Health Organization’s 2020 declaration that polio had been eradicated from Africa. Nigeria, being Africa's most populous country, was the last nation on the continent to achieve this milestone.

Education is another area where Dangote is making a profound impact. He recently announced a **$10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State.** The conglomerate has also provided substantial 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, was the largest individual donation to a Nigerian university 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 Montessori-style education to become community educators in Kano.

The foundation’s investments in education also include vocational training, scholarships at secondary and tertiary levels, and annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program. "We need to create the next generation of African leaders,” Dangote affirmed, highlighting 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.”