Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has been named on TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the world’s most influential individuals shaping the future of charitable giving.
Dangote is the only Nigerian featured on the prestigious 2025 list.
Published on Tuesday, the list honours 100 philanthropists from 28 countries under four categories—Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators.
Dangote earned a spot among the 23 global figures recognised as Titans, joining the ranks of Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.
TIME commended the founder and president of the Dangote Group for his business success and robust philanthropic impact.
The magazine noted, “Business magnate Aliko Dangote, founder, president and CEO of the Dangote Group, built a net worth of $23.9 billion through cement, agriculture, and oil refining operations in Nigeria.
His Aliko Dangote Foundation, which he endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, aims to give back to the continent that facilitated his success, spending an average of $35 million a year on programmes across Africa.”
Speaking on his foundation’s focus, Dangote said, “Health, education, economic empowerment, disaster relief, and food—these are the five main things that any African nation needs.
“We need to create the next generation of African leaders. Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success,” Dangote said.
Among its recent initiatives, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) is currently executing a $100 million multi-year programme to treat children suffering from severe malnutrition. It is also repeating a food relief initiative launched in 2024, distributing over one million bags of rice across Nigeria this year.
In the health sector, the foundation’s past collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners led to the eradication of polio in Nigeria.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation declared the country is no longer polio-endemic.
Education remains a priority, with Dangote recently announcing a $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State.
The foundation is also expanding local efforts in 2025, including constructing school complexes, providing vocational training, and supporting annual fellowships through the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme.
