ALIKO Dangote, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, has been included in TIME Magazine’s inaugural 2025 TIME 100 Philanthropy list, recognizing the world’s most influential philanthropic leaders.
Dangote stands as the sole Nigerian honouree on this prestigious roster.
Published on Tuesday, the list features Dangote alongside global philanthropic figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates — all distinguished as “Titans” for their transformative contributions.
Other notable honourees include David Beckham, Dolly Parton, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, Jack Ma, and Alex Soros, among others.
The selection comprises 100 individuals from 28 countries, categorized as Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators.
Dangote was named one of only 23 Titans, celebrated for his substantial philanthropic investments across Africa.
TIME highlighted Dangote’s business success, having amassed a fortune of $23.9 billion through ventures in cement, agriculture, and oil refining.
However, his philanthropic impact is equally significant. In 2014, he endowed the Aliko Dangote Foundation with $1.25 billion, committing to reinvest in Africa’s development.
The foundation allocates an average of $35 million annually to initiatives in health, education, nutrition, and economic empowerment.
“Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote stated, emphasizing his foundation’s mission.
Among its key initiatives is a $100 million multi-year program targeting severe childhood malnutrition. Additionally, the foundation’s partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others helped Nigeria — Africa’s most populous nation — achieve polio eradication, contributing to the WHO’s 2020 declaration of a polio-free Africa.
Education remains a priority for Dangote, who recently pledged $10 million to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State.
His foundation has also made historic contributions to Nigerian academia, including a N1.2 billion hostel donation to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria — the largest individual gift to a Nigerian university at the time.
Through early childhood programs like Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed), the foundation trains women as community educators in Kano.
It also supports vocational training, scholarships, and leadership development via the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program.
“My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago,” Dangote remarked. “I trust my three daughters will continue this legacy. I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist.”
With this recognition, TIME underscores Dangote’s enduring commitment to shaping Africa’s future through strategic, large-scale philanthropy.
