Key Points

• Dangote launches N100 billion annual education fund.

• STEM scholarships to support 30,000 students yearly.

• Fund expected to reach over 1.3 million students.

On Thursday, Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, announced a N100 billion annual education fund to help Nigerian students who are having trouble paying for school stay in school.

Dangote said at the launch in Lagos that poverty shouldn’t keep smart young people from going to school. He said that education is the “strongest engine of social mobility” and a key part of national growth.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation is paying for the project, which will last for ten years starting in 2026 and cost more than N1 trillion.

In the beginning, the fund will help 45,000 students each year. By the fourth year, that number will have grown to 155,000, and it will stay that way for the rest of the decade. By 2036, the program should have helped at least 1.3 million students.

The Dangote education fund helps students who are in need

The Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars program is a big part of it. It will give scholarships to 30,000 college students each year who are studying science, technology, engineering, and math at public universities and polytechnics.

The amount of tuition support will match the costs of each student’s course and school.

The Dangote education fund includes the STEM initiative

Dangote said the goal of the program is to make it easier for more people to get a higher education, encourage new ideas, and give young Nigerians the skills they need to compete on a global scale. “STEM is what makes things grow. He said, “If Nigeria wants to compete on a global scale, our young people need the tools to learn, think creatively, and come up with new ideas.”

Dangote went on to say, “The future of our country depends on the skills, strength, and leadership of young people.” He said that money problems shouldn’t stop them from following their dreams and that the fund is a long-term commitment to the country’s growth.