Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has earmarked one-third of his vast fortune for charitable causes as part of his long-term succession plan, according to his daughter, Halima Dangote.
Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed the decision during an interview with Bloomberg, revealing that the billionaire businessman had secured the support of his family to dedicate 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.
Based on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which currently values Dangote’s net worth at $35.1 billion, the proposed donation would amount to approximately $11.7 billion, making it one of the largest philanthropic commitments by an African billionaire.
Speaking about her father’s vision, Halima said giving back has always been at the heart of Dangote’s legacy, with a strong focus on improving healthcare and expanding access to education across Africa.
“He sort of put all the structure in place whereby we focus a lot on health and education. He actually donated 25 per cent to the foundation. If you look at it, it is what we call in Sharia Code in Islam; it means he has donated 33 per cent of his whole inheritance to his foundation,” she said.
She explained that the arrangement was carefully designed to ensure the foundation’s humanitarian work continues well beyond the lifetime of its founder.
“That is how important it is to him because philanthropy needs to be in existence generation after generation,” she added.
Halima further revealed that Dangote sought the formal endorsement of his immediate family when finalising the arrangement.
“He asked myself, my two sisters and his mother to sign under that will that he is able to give that 33 per cent to humanity,” she said.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation has over the years invested billions of naira in health, education, nutrition and poverty alleviation initiatives across Nigeria and other African countries. The latest disclosure underscores the industrialist’s determination to ensure that a significant portion of his wealth continues to serve humanitarian causes for generations to come.