The philanthropist attitude of Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote group, was recognised and highlighted by Richtopia, a digital periodical that covers business, economics, and financial news, based in the United Kingdom, yesterday as the richest man in Africa was named as the sixth most charitable man in the world. Dangote recently endowed his foundation to the tune of $1.25 billion
Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and J.K Rowlings occupied the first three positions while Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk were in the fourth and fifth position respectively.
Aside Dangote, Chairman of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, was 11th on the list and these two were the only Nigerians on the list.
Dangote started his foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation in 1981, with a mission to enhance opportunities for social change through strategic investments that improve health and wellbeing, promote quality education, and broaden economic empowerment opportunities.
The Foundation was however, incorporated in 1994 as a charity in Lagos, Nigeria. 20 years later, the Foundation has become the largest private Foundation in sub Saharan Africa, with the largest endowment by a single African donor. The primary focus of Aliko Dangote Foundation is health and nutrition, supported by wrap-around interventions in education, empowerment, and humanitarian relief.
Among many others, it would be recalled that the foundation gave out a whopping N2.5 billion, the same amount the federal government also donated for the purpose of ameliorating the sufferings of the flood victims during President Goodluck Jonathan era.
The Foundation, in line with its mandate to provide relief in times of disaster, spread its philanthropic works beyond the shores of Nigeria with a donation of $1 million to the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The gesture was meant to support the government’s efforts in providing relief to the victims of the earthquakes that occurred in the country.
The Foundation also recently came to the aid of victims of the communal clash between Yoruba and Hausa traders and residents in Ile-Ife, Osun State with a donation of N50 million and also donated N500 million as assistance to victims of the fire outbreak that occurred recently in five major markets in Kano.
The Foundation has also been at the forefront of alleviating the conditions of people in IDPs. The Foundation in 2011, gave the sum of N364 million to IDPs across Kaduna, Bauchi and Gombe States after the post-election violence which rendered many homeless while the sums of N100 million and N60 million were respectively donated to victims of flood disaster in Lagos and Oyo States the same year.
Dangote Foundation donated N39.34 million to those IDPs displaced by the communal clash in Benue State in 2014.
While N42.5 million was used in feeding 5000 IDP households across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States last year, N100 million and N50 million were respectively contributed to the appeal fund raised by Daily Trust to cater for the IDPs in the Northeast and to support the Adamawa Peace Initiative all for the IDPs. The sum of N1 billion was also recently pledged to Victim Support Fund for IDPs across the North-east.
Through the Foundation, Dangote invested N2 billion to create jobs and end hunger for Borno State residents living in Internally Displaced Peoples camps (IDP).
Further to this, the Dangote Foundation came up with a micro grant scheme aimed at empowering the grassroots dwellers with funds to help them undertake petty trading so as to lift their economy.
Already, 256,500 women in states such Kano, Jigawa,, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe have benefited from the scheme that is expected to move round all the 774 local government areas across the country.
