LAGOS, Nigeria — Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and founder of the Dangote Group, has been named to the inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list, a prestigious new annual recognition by TIME Magazine honouring the most influential leaders shaping the future of global giving.
Dangote is the only Nigerian to appear on the list, joining a distinguished group that includes Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda French Gates.
The list spotlights individuals whose philanthropic initiatives are reshaping societies and advancing the well-being of communities around the world.
According to TIME, Dangote’s Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) contributes approximately $35 million annually to philanthropic initiatives across Africa — a figure totalling more than N50 billion in yearly investments under its “Giving Back to Africa” platform.
Among the foundation’s flagship programmes is a $100 million multi-year commitment to combat severe childhood malnutrition in Africa.
TIME also highlighted a landmark public health partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other stakeholders, which played a pivotal role in the World Health Organisation’s declaration of Africa as polio-free in 2020.
Nigeria, the continent’s most populouTIMEs country, was the last to eradicate the disease.
In the education sector, the Dangote Foundation has spearheaded significant investments, including a $10 million pledge to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State.
In 2019, it delivered a N1.2 billion hostel to Ahmadu Bello University — the largest individual donation ever recorded for a Nigerian university.
The foundation has also invested in grassroots education through its Mu Shuka Iri (“Let’s Plant a Seed”) programme, training local women in Kano State to deliver early childhood education using the Montessori method.
The initiative targets foundational learning in underserved communities by empowering women as community educators — known locally as “Aunties.”
ADF supports vocational training, scholarships at both secondary and tertiary levels, and international leadership development through annual fellowships under the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme.
Reflecting on the motivation behind his philanthropy, Dangote credited his late mother for instilling a culture of giving that has spanned over three decades.
“My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago,” he told TIME.
“I trust my three daughters will continue this legacy, just as they will continue to grow our business and impact.”
Dangote underscored that his mission goes beyond wealth accumulation: “I want to be remembered not as Africa’s richest man, but as its biggest philanthropist,” he said.
His foundation’s strategic focus — on nutrition, healthcare, education, and economic empowerment — is aimed at developing the next generation of African leaders and building sustainable systems to uplift vulnerable populations across the continent.
With this latest recognition, Dangote’s profile as a global philanthropist continues to rise, positioning him not only as a titan of industry, but also as one of the foremost African voices in social impact and global development.
