The Federal Government has announced a partnership with the Aliko Dangote Foundation to launch a N100 billion annual education scholarship fund aimed at expanding access for Nigerian students.
The announcement was made in Lagos during the official unveiling attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The development comes as the government intensifies efforts to address long-standing gaps in human capital development and rising concerns about access to quality education nationwide.
What they are saying
The fund is designed to support students across various levels of education and reduce financial barriers that keep millions out of school. Vice President Kashim Shettima commended the Foundation for its intervention, stating that the partnership will help expand opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthen the country’s future workforce.
Aliko Dangote explained that the N100 billion yearly allocation reflects the Foundation’s commitment to ensuring that no talented student is held back due to limited resources.
The announcement reinforces ongoing national conversations around education reforms, skills development, and the need for stronger corporate involvement in tackling Nigeria’s structural challenges.
Ten-year funding pledge
At the 2025 Doha Forum in Qatar, Aliko Dangote announced that his foundation will invest $700 million in Nigerian education over the next decade. He stated that the programme will support more than 155,000 secondary and university students, with the goal of reducing the number of out-of-school children and improving access to skills that raise household incomes.
During a panel session with Bill Gates and Sheikha Al Mayassa, Dangote discussed how private investment and philanthropy can drive inclusive growth in Africa.
“In Africa, we have about 1.4 billion people, so partnership is important,” he said.
He noted that the $700 million programme will tackle one of Africa’s most urgent challenges: training.
“We have a lot of children out of school. We will run the fund for ten years and then review,”he said
Dangote added that the Dangote Petrochemical project has already trained more than 50,000 Nigerians to support operations at its 160,000-barrel-per-day refinery, many of whom will continue to play key roles as the facility expands.
What you should know
Dangote, whose net worth is estimated at $30.2 billion, has built one of Africa’s most diversified industrial groups with interests in cement, sugar, salt, petrochemicals and refining.
The billionaire announced plans to double the capacity of his $20 billion oil refinery in Lagos to 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d), positioning it as possibly the world’s largest refinery. Once completed, the upgraded facility would surpass India’s 1.36 million b/d Jamnagar refinery, currently the largest in the world.
