Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and founder of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, has been named among the world’s most influential philanthropists in TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, released on Tuesday.
The list, which highlights 100 global leaders making significant contributions to the future of philanthropy, includes Dangote as one of 23 honorees in the “Titans” category.
He is the only Nigerian included, recognized alongside internationally renowned figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda French Gates.
TIME praised Dangote for both his business accomplishments, amassing a $23.9 billion fortune through ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining, and his long-standing commitment to social impact through his foundation, which reportedly spends more than N50 billion (approximately $35 million) annually on charitable programs across Africa.
Some context
In 2014, Dangote endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, formalizing a philanthropic initiative he says was inspired by his mother and rooted in a belief in “giving back” to the continent that shaped his success.
“Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote said in a statement released after the TIME announcement.
The foundation’s work spans a range of sectors. One of its most notable initiatives is a $100 million multi-year program to combat severe childhood malnutrition in Nigeria and neighboring countries.
- The foundation was also instrumental in a vaccine partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Nigerian health agencies, contributing to the eradication of polio in Africa, a milestone recognized by the World Health Organization in 2020.
- Education is another area of focus. The foundation recently donated $10 million to support the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State.
- It has also provided infrastructure to Nigerian tertiary institutions, including the N1.2 billion hostel donated to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, the largest private university donation in Nigeria at the time of its announcement in 2019.
What to know
In early childhood education, the foundation’s Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed) program trains local women known as “Aunties” in Montessori teaching methods to provide community-based early education in Kano. The foundation also offers scholarships, vocational training, and fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program.
Speaking on the legacy of his philanthropy, Dangote said: “I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist.” He added that he hopes his daughters will continue the family’s dual legacy of business success and community impact.
With his inclusion in the 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list, Dangote joins a global conversation on how wealth can be leveraged for sustainable development and transformative social change.
