Nigerian business leader Aliko Dangote has unveiled one of the most ambitious education support programmes in the nation’s history, a N100 billion annual commitment designed to remove the financial obstacles that keep millions of young Nigerians out of school.
Announced on Thursday in Lagos, the initiative cements Dangote’s position as the country’s most influential private-sector contributor to human capital development and signals a long-term investment expected to exceed N1 trillion within the next decade.
At the launch, Dangote emphasised that the scale and consistency of the N100 billion annual fund were deliberate, describing it as a strategic national investment rather than an act of philanthropy alone.
The funding is structured to guarantee continuity, with the Aliko Dangote Foundation committing to sustain the intervention for at least ten years as part of a broader pledge to allocate 25 per cent of Dangote’s wealth to the Foundation. This financial framework, he said, is essential for creating stable, predictable educational support across all 774 local government areas of Nigeria.
Beginning in 2026, the programme will support 45,000 new learners annually, expanding to 155,000 beneficiaries per year by the fourth year and holding at that capacity for a full decade. By the end of the cycle, the initiative aims to have reached 1.3 million Nigerian students, an unprecedented number for a private-sector intervention.
Dangote noted that the intention is not merely to widen access but to ensure students complete their education and emerge with skills that can transform their communities and strengthen the national workforce.
The structure of the programme reflects the sectors where educational exclusion is most pronounced. Through the Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars scheme, 30,000 undergraduates each year will receive funding to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across public universities and polytechnics. Tuition support will be tied to verified institutional fees to prevent shortfalls that frequently hinder low-income students.
In addition, 5,000 young Nigerians enrolled in technical and vocational colleges will benefit annually from the Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars programme, which provides tools, materials, and essential resources required for practical training. The intervention aligns with the Federal Government’s new policy offering free tuition for TVET students, positioning the private sector and public sector as complementary partners in workforce development.
Throughout the event, Dangote stressed that financial hardship, not lack of talent, remains the primary reason many Nigerian youths are forced out of school. He warned that the nation risks losing a generation of capable students whose dreams are constrained solely by poverty. Education, he said, is the most powerful equaliser and the strongest vehicle of social mobility, adding that Nigeria cannot build a prosperous future if millions of its young citizens remain excluded from learning.
Addressing young Nigerians directly, Dangote reassured them of the programme’s purpose: to provide opportunity where there is potential, hope where there is uncertainty, and support where the system has historically fallen short. “Every child we keep in school strengthens our economy,” he said. “Every scholar we empower becomes a contributor to national development. This is nation-building, not charity.”
To ensure transparency and accountability, the Dangote Foundation will adopt a fully digital verification and disbursement system. It will work in partnership with NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, NUC, NBTE, WAEC, and NECO, enabling real-time monitoring of outcomes such as retention, completion, and post-graduation pathways. The governance structure includes a Programme Steering Committee chaired by the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, with former vice-chancellors, education specialists, and representatives of the Dangote family serving as members.
Government leaders at the launch acknowledged the transformative potential of the initiative. Vice President Kashim Shettima described it as the largest private educational intervention ever undertaken in Nigeria, emphasising that the nation’s rapidly growing youth population represents an opportunity only if it is educated. He called Dangote’s contribution a model of genuine nation-building.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the initiative aligns with the federal goal of shifting from a resource-dependent economy to a knowledge-driven one, while Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, praised Dangote’s consistency in using wealth to advance national development. According to him, the long-term structure of the commitment makes the programme uniquely impactful and ensures that every local government area will feel its effect.
Dangote noted that the N100 billion annual investment marks only the first phase of a broader agenda focused on improving learning quality, strengthening teacher development, and upgrading school environments nationwide. The progress of the programme will undergo a major review in 2030 as part of the Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy, which places education and human capital at the centre of Nigeria’s development priorities.
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