Aliko Dangote on Thursday unveiled the Dangote ₦1trn Education Fund, a decade-long intervention aimed at reducing financial barriers that keep millions of young Nigerians out of school.
The initiative, valued at more than ₦1 trillion over ten years, is now the largest private education support programme in the country.
The Presidency praised the launch of the Dangote ₦1trn Education Fund, describing it as a major boost to the Federal Government’s human capital development agenda. Speaking at the event in Lagos, Dangote said the plan will support 45,000 new students every year starting in 2026, rising to 155,000 beneficiaries by the fourth year. In total, the programme will reach 1.3 million students across all 774 LGAs.
The initiative comprises four key programmes targeting sectors with the highest levels of educational exclusion. Through the Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars scheme, 30,000 undergraduate students in STEM disciplines will receive support annually in public universities and polytechnics. Another 5,000 students in technical and vocational institutions will benefit yearly under the Technical Scholars programme.
For girls’ education, the MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars will support 20,000 students annually from JSS1 to SSS3, with a pathway into tertiary education. The Foundation will also train 10,000 secondary-school STEM teachers across the six geopolitical zones through the Dangote Teacher Training Programme.
Dangote said the Dangote ₦1trn Education Fund is targeted at Nigeria’s most vulnerable learners, noting that financial hardship not talent is the main reason many drop out of school. He described education as the strongest engine of social mobility and emphasised that no nation can rise above the quality of education it provides.
He added that the Foundation will operate a digital, merit-based verification, disbursement and monitoring system in partnership with NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, NUC, NBTE, WAEC and NECO. The programme includes a Programme Steering Committee chaired by the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Dauda Bage.
Dangote also disclosed that long-term sustainability is guaranteed through his commitment to allocate 25% of his personal wealth to the Foundation. He emphasised that the Dangote ₦1trn Education Fund forms part of a broader vision to expand access, improve quality, and support national development.
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Vice President Kashim Shettima described the intervention as “nation-building in its purest form,” noting that Nigeria’s growing population requires urgent investment in education. The Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking on behalf of governors, also lauded the initiative.
The Emir of Lafia and the Ooni of Ife commended Dangote’s patriotism, calling the Dangote ₦1trn Education Fund an unprecedented contribution to national progress with far-reaching impact on human capital development.
In her remarks, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the intervention will help create an enabling environment for children to learn and for families to thrive.