Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has been named on the inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list, which recognises the 100 most influential leaders shaping the future of philanthropy worldwide. Dangote is the only Nigerian featured on this prestigious list.
Published by TIME Magazine on Tuesday, the list includes global philanthropic figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates—recognised as Titans for their significant charitable work. A total of 100 individuals from 28 countries were honored across four categories: Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators. Dangote was named among the 23 Titans.
TIME highlighted Dangote’s remarkable rise, noting his fortune of $23.9 billion amassed through cement, agriculture, and oil refining ventures in Nigeria. However, his philanthropic contributions have been equally impactful.
In 2014, Dangote endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, aiming “to give back to the continent that played such a key role in his success.” The foundation spends an average of $35 million annually on programs across Nigeria and Africa.
“Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote remarked, reflecting the foundation’s core priorities.
Among the foundation’s ongoing initiatives is a $100 million multi-year program to combat severe childhood malnutrition. The foundation also played a key role in a vaccine program developed with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others, contributing to the World Health Organization’s 2020 declaration that polio had been eradicated from Africa—Nigeria being the last country to achieve this milestone.
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Education is another area where Dangote has made a significant impact. He recently announced a $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State. The foundation has also provided extensive infrastructural support to Nigerian tertiary institutions.
In 2019, the Federal Government revealed that a N1.2 billion hostel donated by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was the largest donation ever made by an individual to a Nigerian university at that time.
As a member of The Global Business Coalition for Education, the foundation has also emphasised early childhood education through its Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed) program, which trains local women—affectionately called “Aunties”—in Montessori-style education to serve as community educators in Kano.
The foundation’s educational investments include vocational training, scholarships at secondary and tertiary levels, and annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program. Dangote stressed the importance of these efforts: “We need to create the next generation of African leaders.”
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Reflecting on the roots of his philanthropy, Dangote shared, “My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago. I trust my three daughters will continue this legacy, just as they will continue to grow our business and impact. I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist.”
Dangote’s inclusion in the TIME100 Philanthropy list further cements his role as a global leader committed to driving lasting change across Africa.
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