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Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, has launched a N100 billion annual education support initiative for Nigerian students.
The businessman, at the launch of the National Scholarship Scheme in Lagos on Thursday, described education as the “strongest engine of social mobility” and the clearest path to national development.
He said that too many brilliant students in Nigeria are pushed out of school because they lack financial support.
“We cannot allow financial hardship to silence the dreams of our young people, not when the future of our nation depends on their skills, resilience and leadership.”
He added that the initiative is expected to support 45,000 new scholars each year, expanding to 155,000 beneficiaries annually by its fourth year, and maintaining that level for the rest of the decade.
He said that the scholarship programme would cost over N1 trillion for the next ten years, beginning in 2026, which would have supported 1,325,000 students by 2036.
He also announced partnerships with NELFUND, NECO, WAEC, and other agencies to guarantee accountability and performance.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who was also present at the launch, stressed the need for the private sector to see itself as co-stewards of Nigeria’s education system, adding that the nation cannot afford to ignore the implications of its rapidly expanding youth population.
“A youthful population is a global asset only when it is educated. Without education, it becomes a threat to itself and to the nation that houses it.
“Now is the time to recommit to building a future in which every Nigerian child has a fair shot at becoming the best version of themselves.
“Let us live our lives so that posterity remembers us not for the titles we held, but for the doors we opened and the lives we transformed.”
He further praised Dangote’s “visionary and generational” philanthropy, saying his investment stands out as one of the most consequential private-sector efforts to rescue Nigeria’s most critical sector.
“He is not only the largest private employer of labour; he has become the most consequential private investor in the future of our children,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed also commended the Foundation for creating expanded opportunities, which she said would create new pathways for Nigeria’s youth.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who spoke on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, also lauded Dangote for redefining philanthropy and pledged state-level collaboration
