Aliko Dangote recognised by TIMES magazine for outstanding philanthropic achievements.

Aliko Dangote recognised by TIMES magazine for outstanding philanthropic achievements.

Aliko Dangote, the billionaire founder of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), has been recognized as one of the top 100 most influential philanthropists in the world by TIME Magazine. He is the only Nigerian on the list, which features global philanthropists like Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.

The ADF spends $35 million annually on programmes across Africa, approximately over N50 billion yearly on “Giving Back to Africa”. The foundation’s ongoing efforts include a $100 million multi-year initiative to combat severe childhood malnutrition. According to TIME Magazine, the foundation’s vaccine programme in Nigeria, developed in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, contributed to the World Health Organisation’s 2020 declaration that polio had been eradicated from Africa.

Dangote’s philanthropic efforts also focus on education. He recently announced a $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, based in Kano State. The conglomerate has provided infrastructural support to the country’s tertiary institutions, including a N1.2 billion hostel donated to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, which was the largest donation ever made by an individual to a university in Nigeria’s history at that time.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation has also focused on early childhood education through the Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed) programme, training local women to become community educators in Kano. The foundation’s investments in education include providing vocational training, scholarships, and annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme.

Dangote said investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is “their contribution to setting Africans up for success”. He stressed the need to create the next generation of African leaders, underscoring his commitment to long-term societal change.