The Aliko Dangote Foundation, in collaboration with the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL), has unveiled the recipients of the 2025 Aliko Dangote Fellowship – a cohort of gifted and high calibre African change makers selected as part of the prestigious YGL Class of 2025.

This year’s Fellows join a global community of more than 1,400 young leaders who are tackling complex global challenges with bold ideas and transformative leadership. Representing diverse sectors such as education, fintech, fashion, climate policy, and digital governance, the 2025 Fellows embody a new wave of African leadership – innovative, purpose-driven, and globally minded.

Now in its 14th year, the Aliko Dangote Fellowship empowers high-impact African leaders by funding their full participation in the YGL programme and World Economic Forum activities. The fellowship offers access to a three-year leadership development journey, world-class executive education, and collaborative platforms aimed at accelerating social and economic change across Africa and beyond.

“We are honoured to welcome the YGL Aliko Dangote Fellows to the Class of 2025, and into the YGL Foundation’s transformative three-year leadership programme,” said Ida Jeng Christensen, Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders. “Learning is the compass that guides leaders toward wisdom, empathy, and purpose – and these exceptional changemakers embody those values.”

Since its inception in 2011, the partnership between the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the World Economic Forum has supported over 130 African leaders. The initiative aims to ensure that African voices and perspectives are actively represented in global decision-making and development strategies.

Zakari Momodu, Projects Director at the Aliko Dangote Foundation, emphasised the importance of African inclusion at the global stage: “We believe it is imperative that Africa, Africans, and African issues are properly represented at the highest levels of global conversations and decision-making.”

The Class of 2025 includes remarkable individuals such as 37-year-old Kenyan Hilda Kragah, CEO of The African Talent Company, addressing the continent’s talent gap through innovative, locally developed solutions and 28-year-old Max Fontaine, a climate-focused minister spearheading Madagascar’s national reforestation initiative.