Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched the Aliko Dangote Foundation Education Scholarship Initiative, with the Foundation’s President, Aliko Dangote, unveiling a massive ₦100 billion annual education support programme.
The programme is projected to cost ₦1 trillion over the next ten years and is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s educational sector and expanding access to quality learning for young people nationwide through a range of targeted schemes.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos on Thursday, Shettima commended Dangote’s visionary philanthropy and stressed the urgent need for collective investment in education to reverse West Africa’s low Human Capital Index.
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“We must treat education as a survival strategy. This is why our administration treats the National Human Capital Development Programme as a national emergency”, he said.
He implored the private sector to consider itself a stakeholder in the survival of Nigeria’s education system.
He warned that while a youthful population is a global asset when educated, “Without education, it becomes a threat to itself and to the nation that houses it.”
Shettima highlighted the President Bola Tinubu administration’s own bold reforms, including introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to create equitable access and strengthening of UBEC to deepen basic education infrastructure.
He also mentioned the expansion of TETFund intervention to revitalise tertiary institutions and acceleration of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.
Dangote announced that the ₦100 billion annual support programme will be sustained for the next decade.
He assured stakeholders that all beneficiaries would be selected through a transparent, merit-based process.
To ensure accountability and fairness, the Foundation has announced partnerships with government agencies, including NELFUND, NECO, and WAEC.
Dangote also revealed that he has dedicated 25% of his personal wealth to the Foundation, a commitment that will extend beyond his lifetime.
The event culminated in the unveiling of the Foundation’s Vision 2030 100 billion dollar logo.
Other dignitaries at the event praised the initiative.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, described the programme as one of the most comprehensive human capital development programmes in Nigeria’s history, noting that 25% of the scholarship slots will be reserved for persons living with disabilities—a gesture he called “humane and inclusive.”
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, commended the investment, particularly the expanded scholarship opportunities in TVET, which she said would create new pathways.
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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu applauded Dangote, assuring that state governments would work to ensure the success of the initiative, noting that Lagos has allocated 10% of its annual budget to education.
The Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Justice Sidi Bage (rtd), pledged the committee’s dedication to ensuring the initiative’s success, predicting a significant strengthening of Nigeria’s human capital over the next decade.
