Nigerian Billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has been named among the top 100 most influential leaders in global philanthropy by TIME Magazine.
Dangote, the Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, is the only Nigerian on the prestigious list.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation, endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, focuses on “giving back to Africa” through various initiatives.
With an annual budget of approximately $35 million (around N50 billion), the foundation supports programs in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment across Nigeria and Africa.
The foundation has launched a $100 million multi-year program to combat severe childhood malnutrition and partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a vaccine program that contributed to the World Health Organisation’s 2020 declaration that polio had been eradicated from Africa.
In education, Dangote has made significant contributions, including a $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State and N1.2 billion to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for infrastructure development.
The foundation has also focused on early childhood education through the Mu Shuka Iri program, training local women in Montessori-style education to become community educators in Kano.
Dangote attributes his philanthropic approach to his upbringing, saying, “My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago.”
He aims to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist, emphasizing the importance of creating the next generation of African leaders.
The list recognizes 100 influential individuals from 28 countries, honoring their philanthropic efforts in four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators. Dangote is one of the 23 Titans, alongside other notable philanthropists like Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.
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