Dangote education initiative launches N100bn annual programme to support students and expand learning opportunities nationwide

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, globally acclaimed Nigerian industrialist, on Thursday announced a N100 billion annual education support initiative, aimed at reducing financial barriers and ensuring millions of young Nigerians remain in school.

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The programme, projected to cost over N1 trillion over the next decade, will support 1.3 million students across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation said it will assist 45,000 students annually from 2026, rising to 155,000 beneficiaries by the fourth year, remaining at that level for ten years.

The initiative includes four core programmes.

The Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars will fund 30,000 undergraduates annually in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) across public universities and polytechnics.

The Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars will provide 5,000 students in public technical and vocational institutions with tools, materials, and training support.

The MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars, named after Dangote’s daughters Mariya, Halima and Fatima, will support 20,000 public-school girls annually from junior to senior secondary school, with continued tertiary support. Meanwhile, the Dangote Teacher Training Programme will initially train 10,000 secondary-school STEM teachers, expanding nationwide.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Dangote described the effort as “a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future” and urged collaboration between government, the private sector, communities, and families to ensure meaningful impact.

He emphasised that financial hardship, not talent, drives many students out of school.

Vice President Kashim Shettima praised the initiative, calling it “the single largest private-sector education support intervention in the history of this country” and noted that a population “becomes a liability only when it is uneducated.” Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the initiative aligns with the federal plan to transform Nigeria into a knowledge-based economy.

Governors, led by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, pledged full support for the programme.

Other dignitaries, including His Highness Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, Emir of Lafia, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, lauded Dangote’s philanthropy as both transformational and strategic for Nigeria’s long-term development.

The Foundation will manage the programme through a merit-based, fully digital system, in partnership with NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, NUC, NBTE, WAEC, and NECO.

Key performance metrics will include student retention, completion rates, and post-school impact.

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Dangote noted that the long-term sustainability of the programme is supported by a commitment to allocate 25 per cent of his wealth to the Aliko Dangote Foundation, with progress to be reviewed under the Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy.