By Franklin Adole
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, unveiled Nigeria’s largest-ever private education support programme on Thursday: a N100 billion annual fund projected to exceed N1 trillion in ten years and directly support 1.3 million students across the country. The Federal Government and state governors hailed the move as a landmark intervention at a time when economic hardship is forcing many young Nigerians out of school.
Announcing the scheme in Lagos, Dangote said the initiative would begin in 2026 by supporting 45,000 new students yearly, rising to 155,000 beneficiaries by the fourth year and maintained for a decade. He emphasised that the programme is a long-term investment targeted at Nigeria’s most vulnerable learners, aimed at removing financial barriers he described as the leading cause of school dropouts.
“This is not only charity. This is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future,” Dangote declared. “Our young people are not asking for handouts. They are asking for opportunities.”
The initiative is anchored on four major components. The Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars will fund 30,000 undergraduate students each year in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across public universities and polytechnics, with tuition support aligned to actual institutional fees. Another 5,000 students in technical and vocational colleges will receive funding annually for tools, materials, and essential training through the Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars programme, complementing the Federal Government’s free-tuition policy for TVET institutions.
A further 20,000 public-school girls will be supported each year from JSS1 to SSS3 under the MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars, named after Dangote’s daughters, Mariya, Halima, and Fatima, with continued assistance into tertiary education and priority for states with high numbers of out-of-school girls. The Dangote Teacher Training Programme will begin with the upskilling of 10,000 secondary-school STEM teachers in 39 government colleges attended by MHF scholars, before expanding nationwide.
Dangote said the Foundation will deploy a fully digital verification, disbursement, and monitoring system in partnership with NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, NUC, NBTE, WAEC, and NECO, focusing on measurable outcomes such as student retention, completion rates, and post-school impact. He added that the programme’s long-term sustainability is tied to his formal commitment to allocate 25 per cent of his personal wealth to the Aliko Dangote Foundation. A Programme Steering Committee chaired by the Emir of Lafia, His Highness Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, will oversee implementation.
The industrialist said the launch reflects his long-held belief that “no nation can rise above the quality of education it offers its young people” and warned that many talented students remain at risk of dropping out due to financial pressures. “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,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hailed the initiative as the “single largest private-sector education support intervention in Nigeria’s history,” describing it as a powerful demonstration of the role of patriotic private-sector actors in national development. “A population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated,” he said, adding that Dangote’s action aligns strongly with the government’s reform agenda, including NELFUND, UBEC infrastructure upgrades, expanded TETFUND interventions, and accelerated technical and vocational programmes.
Shettima said the programme would significantly widen opportunities for learners nationwide and strengthen the government’s efforts to build a competitive, skills-driven workforce. Education Minister Tunji Alausa described the initiative as “pure human capital development,” while Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking on behalf of the 36 governors, pledged their full support.
Traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, praised the programme as unprecedented and transformational, commending Dangote for reinvesting his wealth to uplift millions of Nigerians.
The new fund builds on the Foundation’s long-standing education investments, including university hostels across multiple states, the Mu Shuka Iri early-learning programme in Kano, the Aliko Dangote School for Orphan Girls in Maiduguri, which receives N500 million annually, and a N15 billion, three-year upgrade of the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil. Dangote said the new programme marks only the first phase of expanded interventions focused on quality learning, teacher development, and modern school environments.
“Nigeria’s progress must not be judged by the number of children left behind, but by the millions empowered and prepared for leadership,” he said.