Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and President of Dangote Industries Limited, has been named among the 100 individuals on TIME Magazine’s newly introduced 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy list. The list, which highlights influential leaders shaping the future of global philanthropy, features Dangote as the only Nigerian among the honourees.

According to a statement released by the Dangote Group on Tuesday, the TIME list acknowledges 100 philanthropists across 28 countries, categorised as Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators. Dangote was listed as one of 23 individuals under the “Titans” category, alongside global figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.

TIME cited Dangote’s rise to a \$23.9 billion fortune through cement, agriculture, and oil refining in Nigeria, but also noted the scale of his philanthropic contributions. In 2014, Dangote endowed his foundation with \$1.25 billion. The foundation reportedly allocates an average of \$35 million annually to development initiatives across Nigeria and the continent.

Speaking on the mission behind his philanthropic work, Dangote said, “Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success.”

Among the foundation’s major projects is a \$100 million multi-year effort to combat severe childhood malnutrition. In collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners, it also supported a national vaccine programme that contributed to the World Health Organisation’s 2020 declaration of Africa as polio-free, with Nigeria being the last country on the continent to eradicate the disease.

The Foundation’s recent contributions to education include a \$10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano State. It has also extended infrastructure support to tertiary institutions, such as the N1.2 billion hostel complex donated to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. When it was unveiled in 2019, it was the largest individual donation to a Nigerian university at the time.

Dangote’s foundation is also involved in early childhood education through the “Mu Shuka Iri” (Let’s Plant a Seed) programme, which trains local women, known as “Aunties”, in Montessori teaching methods to serve as community educators in Kano.

Reflecting on the motivation behind his philanthropy, Dangote said, “We need to create the next generation of African leaders. My mother instilled in me the ethos of giving back, which inspired my philanthropy 30 years ago. I trust my three daughters will continue this legacy, just as they will continue to grow our business and impact. I want to be known not just as Africa’s richest person but also as its biggest philanthropist.”