KEY POINTS

• Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship totals N1.5 billion.
• N150,000 tuition support per student annually.
• Programme covers 1,225 postgraduate students.

Aliko Dangote has pledged N1.5 billion to support postgraduate students at Bayero University Kano, easing tuition costs for more than 1,200 candidates enrolled in business-related programmes.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation will provide the funding and disburse it under the MHF Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship, targeting MBA, entrepreneurship, and management students at the Dangote Business School.

Representatives of the foundation and the university formalised the agreement on Tuesday in Kano, where they signed a memorandum of understanding.

Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship Details

Under the arrangement, N300 million will be released annually over five years. Each eligible student will receive N150,000 per academic session beginning with the 2024–2025 session, covering half of the N300,000 tuition fee.

University data further show the Dangote Business School currently enrols 1,225 postgraduate students, comprising 696 fresh entrants and 529 returning students. The Aliko Dangote Foundation structured the Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship to cover all qualified students within the approved capacity.

Newly admitted students will see the tuition subsidy applied automatically during registration, while returning students who have already paid full fees will receive rebates.

Human Capital Investment Drive

Furthermore, Mariya Aliko Dangote, representing the foundation, said the scholarship aligns with efforts to expand economic opportunity through business education.

“Our vision at the Foundation is to build human capital that translates into economic opportunity,” she said, adding that strengthening entrepreneurship education is key to fostering enterprise and job creation.

Vice Chancellor Haruna Musa said the funding arrives at a time of rising household costs and will reinforce the school’s role in developing managerial and entrepreneurial talent, including among women entering leadership positions.

University officials also said any unused balance from the first-year allocation will remain within the Dangote Business School to upgrade facilities and enhance digital learning capacity.

According to Billionaires Africa, The Aliko Dangote Foundation runs the Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship separately from its nationwide programmes focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.