The Aliko Dangote Foundation’s (ADF) N1 trillion scholarship programme is a landmark initiative that has the potential to revolutionise Nigeria’s education sector.
The move is a testament to the power of private-sector leadership in driving social impact and promoting national development.
This bold and transformative initiative is a beacon of hope for a nation grappling with the challenges of funding gaps and high dropout rates in its education sector.
With a commitment to support over 1.3 million students across all 774 local government areas, the Dangote Scholarship Scheme is poised to bridge educational inequality, empower Nigeria youths, and drive socio-economic progress.
Spread over the next decade, the programme will adopt a fully digital, merit-based selection and disbursement system, ensuring fairness, efficiency, and transparency.
The initiative comprises four programmes targeted at sectors where educational exclusion is most acute. Through the Aliko Dangote STEM scholars, the programme will fund 30,000 undergraduate students yearly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) across Nigeria’s public universities and polytechnics. Beneficiaries will have their tuition aligned to actual institutional fees.
A total of 5,000 students in public technical and vocational institutions will receive support each year for tools, materials and essential training requirements through the Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars. This complements the Federal Government’s recent policy providing free tuition for TVET students.
The MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars, named after Dangote’s daughters, namely Mariya, Halima and Fatima, will support 20,000 public-school girls yearly from Junior Secondary one to Senior secondary three with continued support into tertiary education.
The Foundation will prioritise states with the highest number of out-of-school girls.
Through the Dangote Teacher Training Programme, the foundation will launch a large-scale teacher development scheme, beginning with 10,000 secondary-school STEM teachers in 39 government colleges attended by MHF scholars and expanding across all six geopolitical zones.
Dangote said the intervention is aimed at Nigeria’s most vulnerable learners, noting that financial hardship, not lack of talent, is the primary reason many drop out of school.
The seasoned industrialist described the initiative as a long-term investment aimed at reducing financial barriers that drive millions of young Nigerians out of school.
The programme is expected to cost more than N1 trillion over the next decade.
The Presidency praised Dangote for unveiling what is now the largest private education support programme in Nigeria, describing the initiative as a major boost to the Federal Government’s human capital development agenda.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Dangote said the plan will support 45,000 new students every year from 2026, rising to 155,000 beneficiaries by the fourth year, and remaining at that level for 10 years.
In total, the scheme is projected to reach 1.3 million students across all 774 local government areas.
“This is not only charity. This is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future. Every child we keep in school strengthens our economy. Every student we support reduces inequality. Every scholar we empower becomes a future contributor to national development,” Dangote said.
“Our young people are not asking for handouts. They are asking for opportunities. They are asking for a chance to learn, grow, compete and succeed. And we believe they deserve that chance.”
He noted that for more than three decades, the ADF has invested heavily in health, nutrition, economic empowerment and humanitarian support across Nigeria.
He described education as “the foundation on which every prosperous society is built,” calling it the most powerful equaliser and the strongest engine of social mobility.
Despite this, he warned that many talented Nigerian students continue to face financial pressures that threaten to push them out-of-school. Their dreams, he said, are limited not by ability, but by opportunity.
“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,” Dangote added.
Noting that this concern informed the foundation’s new Education Support Initiative, Dangote stressed that the effort is intended as a starting point, rather than a standalone solution.
“A single organisation cannot solve Nigeria’s education challenges alone; government has a role. The private sector has a role. Communities and families have a role. When we work together, we can transform education, and with it, transform Nigeria’s future.”
He added that Nigeria’s progress must not be judged by the number of children left behind, but by the millions empowered and prepared for leadership.
He expressed hope that the new initiative would inspire broader action across sectors.
Addressing young Nigerians directly, Dangote said: “Your dreams matter. Your education matters. Your future matters. We believe in you. We are investing in you. And we are committed to ensuring that you do not walk this journey alone.”
The foundation, he said, will use a merit-based and fully digital system for verification, disbursement and monitoring, working in partnership with the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and other examination bodies.
Dangote said the focus will be on measurable outcomes, including retention, completion rates and post-school impact.
He noted that the vision behind the initiative is to give every deserving child the chance to learn — unfettered by cost, free to dream, and equipped to achieve.
To oversee implementation, a programme steering committee has been constituted, and chaired by Justice Sidi Bage, the Emir of Lafia.
Other members include former vice-chancellors, senior education administrators, technical advisors and representatives of the Dangote family.
Dangote also disclosed that the programme’s long-term sustainability is tied to his formal commitment to allocate 25 per cent of his wealth to the ADF, adding that the progress on the initiative will be reviewed in 2030 as part of Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 strategy.
The initiative builds on the foundation’s existing education investments, including university hostels across several states, the Mu Shuka Iri early-learning programme in Kano, which has reached more than 10,000 children, the Aliko Dangote School for Orphan Girls in Maiduguri with a yearly N500 million commitments, and a N15 billion pledge over three years to upgrade the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil.
Dangote said the new scheme marks only the first phase of expanded education interventions focused on quality of learning, teacher development and modern school environments.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, said the intervention demonstrates the critical role of private-sector actors in national development.
He noted that Nigeria’s demographic growth makes urgent investment in education indispensable, warning that ‘a population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated.’
He said: “Dangote, through his philanthropy, has set in motion the single, largest private-sector education support intervention in the history of this country. What he has done is a lesson to each of us. This is nation-building in its purest form.”
Shettima highlighted ongoing reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), strengthened basic education infrastructure through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), expanded Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) interventions, and accelerated technical and vocational programmes.
He said these reforms aim to improve Nigeria’s poor Human Capital Index ranking, and prepare young people for a skills-driven global economy.
Describing Dangote’s philanthropy as structural and long term, Shettima said the initiative aligns strongly with the government’s priority of expanding equitable access to education.
“No nation surpasses the aspirations of its most committed patriots. The legacy of Alhaji Dangote reminds us that greatness is not measured by wealth, but by the number of lives one lifts from the shadows into the light.”
The Vice-President added that the ADF programme will widen opportunities for thousands of learners and bolster government’s efforts to build a competitive workforce.
He called for stronger collaboration between government, the private sector and development partners to address persistent gaps in the education system.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa, described the initiative as “pure human capital development,” saying it aligns with the present administration’s education sector renewal plan of transforming Nigeria from resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, and it’s significant because every local government area will benefit.
He said that by the end of the first decade of the scholarship programme, an estimated 170,000 girls would have been enrolled in school through the MHF scholars alone, significantly helping to close the gender gap in education.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking on behalf of the 36 state governors, also commended the initiative and pledged their full support.
He said Dangote continues to set the pace in philanthropy and national development.
“This is purposeful leadership. As a real partner in progress, he has choices, but he has chosen once again to lead with a bold and unprecedented initiative,” he said.
“He has consistently shown what true philanthropy means and how wealth can become a catalyst for development. You are using your resources to lift millions, and Nigeria will remember this,” Sanwo Olu stated.
Chairman of the programme steering committee, Justice Sidi Bage, said the scheme praised Dangote’s patriotism in reinvesting his wealth to uplift other Nigerians.
“This is a remarkable challenge Dangote has taken upon himself, the largest ever undertaken by a single individual — committing his resources to support more than 1,325,000 Nigerian students over 10 years at a cost exceeding N1 trillion.
“Tens of millions of young Nigerians will feel the impact over the next decade and beyond. The multiplier effect on our human capital, social development indicators and overall economic prosperity will be absolutely unprecedented.”
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, said Dangote’s impact in driving private-sector transformation remains unmatched, describing the new initiative as both transformational and a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.
He recalled how the ADF had come to the aid of his community during a devastating communal conflict that resulted in the destruction of several properties.
In her virtual remarks, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said the scholarship scheme would create an enabling environment for children to learn and for families to prosper.
As Nigeria embarks on this journey, the Aliko Dangote Foundation’s programme serves as a shining example of the power of private-sector leadership in driving social impact.
Dangote emphasised that the initiative is not charity, but a strategic investment in human capital, aimed at reducing inequality and strengthening the economy.
“The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, described the intervention as “nation building in its purest form” and the largest private-sector education support initiative in Nigeria’s history. He emphasized that urgent investment in education is critical to harnessing Nigeria’s demographic potential, saying, “A population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated.”
The Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, hailed the initiative as “pure human capital development,” aligning with the Tinubu administration’s education sector renewal plan to transform Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy.
The Dangote Scholarship Scheme has received widespread acclaim, with stakeholders praising Aliko Dangote’s vision and commitment to nation building.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, described the initiative as “transformational and a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.”
As Nigeria embarks on this journey, the Aliko Dangote Foundation’s programme serves as a shining example of the power of private-sector leadership in driving social impact.
