Aliko Dangote is the only Nigerian honoree on the inaugural 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy List

Aliko Dangote is noticeably the only Nigerian to be listed on the first-ever 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list.

Aliko Dangote, the CEO of Dangote Industries Limited and the chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, has been included in the first-ever 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list, which honors the 100 most significant figures influencing philanthropy globally. On this esteemed list, Dangote is the only Nigerian.

The list, which was released on Tuesday by TIME Magazine, included well-known philanthropists like Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Michael Bloomberg who have been named Titans for their substantial contributions to charity. Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators were the four categories in which 100 people from 28 different nations were recognized. One of the twenty-three Titans was Dangote.

Dangote’s incredible ascent was brought to light by TIME, which noted his $23.9 billion fortune accumulated through Nigerian cement, agricultural, and oil refining endeavors. His charitable offerings, however, have had just as much of an impact.

Dangote gave $1.25 billion to the Aliko Dangote Foundation in 2014 with the intention of “giving back to the continent that played such a key role in his success.” The foundation invests $35 million a year on average in activities in Africa and Nigeria.

Dangote said, “Our contribution to setting Africans up for success is investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment,” which reflected the foundation’s main objectives.

The organization is now working on several projects, including a multi-year, $100 million program to address severe childhood malnutrition. Additionally, the foundation was instrumental in a vaccine initiative created in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others, which helped the WHO declare in 2020 that polio had been eradicated in Africa, with Nigeria being the final nation to accomplish this feat.

Another area in which Dangote has had a major influence is education. He just revealed a $10 million gift to Kano State’s Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology. Additionally, Nigerian higher institutions have received substantial infrastructure help from the foundation.

According to the Federal Government, the Aliko Dangote Foundation’s N1.2 billion hostel donation to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria was the biggest sum of money ever given by a single person to a Nigerian university at the time.

By training local women, affectionately referred to as “Aunties,” in Montessori-style education to become community educators in Kano, the foundation, a member of The Global Business Coalition for Education, has also placed a strong emphasis on early childhood education through its Mu Shuka Iri (Let’s Plant a Seed) program.

The World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program offers yearly fellowships, secondary and university scholarships, and vocational training as part of the foundation’s educational efforts. Dangote emphasized how crucial these initiatives are, saying, “We need to create the next generation of African leaders.”

Dangote reflected on the origins of his charity, saying, “My mother taught me the value of giving back thirty years ago, and that motivated my philanthropy. As my three daughters continue to expand our business and influence, I have faith that they will carry on this tradition. In addition to being the wealthiest person in Africa, I want to be recognized as its largest philanthropist.

As a global leader dedicated to bringing about long-lasting change throughout Africa, Dangote’s participation on the TIME100 Philanthropy list further solidifies his position.