Aliko Dangote Named Among TIME100 Philanthropy List for 2025

Nigerian Billionaire Recognized Among Global Philanthropic Leaders

Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and President/CEO of Dangote Industries Limited, has been included in the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list for 2025. This prestigious recognition highlights the 100 most influential leaders shaping global philanthropy, with Dangote standing as the sole Nigerian honoree.

Global Recognition Among Philanthropic Titans

Published by TIME Magazine, the list features Dangote alongside renowned philanthropists such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates, all categorized as “Titans” of charitable work. Other notable figures include David Beckham, Dolly Parton, Prince William, and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

The list honors 100 influential individuals from 28 countries across four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators. Dangote is one of only 23 individuals recognized as a Titan.

Dangote’s Philanthropic Impact

TIME highlighted Dangote’s extraordinary journey to wealth—amassing a fortune of $23.9 billion through ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining—while emphasizing his equally remarkable philanthropic contributions. In 2014, he endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, dedicating it to improving lives across Africa.

“Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote remarked.

Key Initiatives and Achievements

The foundation allocates an average of $35 million annually to initiatives across Nigeria and Africa, including:

• A $100 million multi-year program to combat severe childhood malnutrition.
• A vaccine initiative that contributed to the eradication of polio in Africa, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• A $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State.
• The largest individual donation in Nigerian university history—N1.2 billion—to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Education and Leadership Development

Dangote’s foundation also focuses on early childhood education through programs like Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed), which trains local women as community educators in Kano. Additionally, the foundation provides scholarships, vocational training, and fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program.

“We need to create the next generation of African leaders,” Dangote emphasized.

A Legacy of Giving

Reflecting on his philanthropic journey, Dangote shared:

“My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago. I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist.”

For more details, read the original article on Dateline Nigeria.