The initiative aims to support more than 155,000 Nigerian students, spanning both secondary schools and universities. Dangote said the fund is designed to tackle one of the country's most persistent challenges—its high number of out-of-school children—while building a stronger pipeline of skilled workers able to meet the needs of the evolving Nigerian economy.
Emphasizing collaboration, he pointed to the foundation’s longstanding partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, particularly their joint efforts to eradicate polio in Nigeria. He argued that with Africa’s population approaching 1.4 billion, strategic partnerships have become essential to addressing the region’s developmental hurdles.
Dangote also highlighted ongoing capacity-building efforts within his business operations. The Dangote Petrochemical complex, he noted, has trained over 50,000 Nigerians to support the refinery’s 160,000-barrel-per-day operations. As the facility expands, that skilled workforce will be redeployed, while the new education fund is expected to broaden the talent pool for Nigeria’s industrial sector.
The foundation plans to launch the fund next week, after which it will run for a decade before undergoing a full review.