Aliko Dangote Foundation Commits N1.5bn to Bayero University’s Postgraduate Students

Aliko Dangote Foundation Commits N1.5bn to Bayero University’s Postgraduate Students

The Aliko Dangote Foundation  (ADF) has signed a ₦1.5 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bayero University Kano (BUK) to provide scholarship support for postgraduate students at the institution’s Dangote Business School.

The MoU, signed on Tuesday at the Business School’s main auditorium in Kano, commits ₦300 million annually over five years to fund scholarships for eligible MBA, entrepreneurship, and management postgraduate students.

Under the agreement, jointly signed by ADF Board of Trustees member Hajiya Mariya Aliko Dangote and BUK Vice Chancellor Prof. Haruna Musa, each beneficiary will receive ₦150,000 per academic session starting from the 2024/2025 academic year. The amount represents 50 per cent of the current ₦300,000 tuition fee for postgraduate students at the Business School.

Currently, the Dangote Business School has 1,225 students, comprising 696 fresh and 529 returning students. The scholarship will cover both categories. Newly admitted students will benefit from automatic tuition reductions during registration, while returning students who have already paid their fees will receive rebates.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Foundation and President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, represented by Mariya Aliko Dangote, said the initiative underscores the Foundation’s commitment to human capital development.

“Our vision at the Foundation is to build human capital that translates into economic opportunity. Strengthening business and entrepreneurship education is critical to turning knowledge into enterprise, innovation, and jobs. This scholarship deepens our commitment to Dangote Business School by investing directly in the next generation of business leaders and change-makers,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Haruna Musa, described the intervention as timely, noting that it would provide financial relief to families while strengthening the Business School’s capacity to develop entrepreneurial and management talent, particularly among women assuming leadership roles in business.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, postgraduate student Khalid Bababubu, an MBA candidate specialising in Finance and Investment, expressed appreciation to the Foundation, describing the scholarship as a major boost to students’ academic and professional aspirations.

The initiative, tagged the ‘MHF Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship,’ marks a strategic shift in the Foundation’s partnership with the Business School, moving from infrastructure support to direct investment in students and enterprise leadership development.

Since the Dangote Business School complex was commissioned in 2018, ADF has supported facility maintenance at the school. The new scholarship programme represents a transition from infrastructure-focused interventions to investment in human capital aimed at driving enterprise, job creation, and economic growth.

The Foundation clarified that the postgraduate scholarship programme is distinct from its recently announced nationwide STEM education initiatives, which target science and technology pathways at secondary and undergraduate levels across Nigeria.

Any unutilised balance from the annual ₦300 million allocation will be retained within the Dangote Business School development envelope to strengthen learning infrastructure and enhance digital academic capacity.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation focuses on improving health and wellbeing, promoting quality education, and expanding empowerment opportunities through strategic social investments.

Bayero University Kano remains one of Nigeria’s leading higher education institutions, with its Dangote Business School recognised as a centre of excellence in postgraduate education in business, entrepreneurship, and management.