Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, has been named in TIME magazine’s inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list. The list celebrates 100 global leaders redefining the future of philanthropy, and Dangote is the only Nigerian featured.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dangote Industries Limited announced the recognition, noting that Dangote was honoured as one of 23 “Titans” for his impactful philanthropic work across the continent. He joins the ranks of renowned figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.
TIME acknowledged both Dangote’s business success—amassing a $23.9 billion fortune through cement, agriculture, and oil ventures—and his substantial charitable commitments. In 2014, he endowed his foundation with $1.25 billion. Today, it spends an average of $35 million annually on initiatives focused on health, education, and economic empowerment.
One of the foundation’s flagship projects is a $100 million initiative to combat childhood malnutrition. In the health sector, its collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributed to Nigeria’s successful fight against polio, aiding the World Health Organization’s 2020 declaration of Africa as polio-free.
The foundation has also made landmark investments in education. In 2019, it donated a N1.2 billion hostel to Ahmadu Bello University, the largest individual gift to a Nigerian university at the time. More recently, Dangote pledged $10 million to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano.
His commitment to early childhood education is evident in the Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed) initiative, which trains local women as Montessori-style educators in underserved communities.
Reflecting on his philanthropic journey, Dangote said: “We need to create the next generation of African leaders. I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person, but also as its biggest philanthropist.”
He credited his mother for instilling the values that have guided his giving for over three decades and expressed hope that his daughters will carry on the legacy.
