By Ayomide Otitoju
Aliko Dangote Foundation, chaired by Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, has signed a ₦1.5 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bayero University Kano to provide scholarships for postgraduate students of the Dangote Business School.
The initiative will allocate ₦300 million annually over five years to support eligible MBA, entrepreneurship, and management students, with each beneficiary receiving ₦150,000 per session—covering 50% of the current ₦300,000 tuition fee. The programme begins with the 2024/25 academic session and targets 1,225 students, including 696 new and 529 returning postgraduates.
The MoU was jointly signed by ADF Board Trustee Hajiya Mariya Aliko Dangote and BUK Vice Chancellor Prof. Haruna Musa. At the signing, Dangote Foundation representatives emphasized the importance of investing in human capital to convert knowledge into enterprise, innovation, and job creation.
“Our vision at the Foundation is to build human capital that translates into economic opportunity,” Mariya Aliko Dangote said on behalf of the chairman. “This scholarship deepens our commitment to Dangote Business School by investing directly in the next generation of business leaders and change-makers.”
Prof. Musa lauded the initiative, noting that it provides critical financial relief for families and strengthens the Business School’s role in nurturing entrepreneurial and management talent, especially among women assuming leadership roles.
Khalid Bababubu, a beneficiary specialising in MBA, Finance and Investment, expressed gratitude to ADF, describing the scholarship as a vital boost to the development of enterprise leadership in Nigeria.
The programme, titled ‘MHF Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship’, represents a strategic shift in ADF’s partnership with the Business School from infrastructure support to direct investment in people. Unlike the Foundation’s STEM education initiatives, which target secondary and undergraduate levels nationwide, this scholarship is focused on postgraduate education to strengthen entrepreneurship, management skills, and enterprise leadership.
New students will receive automatic tuition reductions at registration, while returning students who have paid in full will receive rebates. Any unused funds in the first year will be reinvested in the Dangote Business School to enhance
