Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, plans to donate one-third of his fortune to charitable causes as part of his succession plan, according to his daughter, Halima Dangote.
Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed the plan in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, saying the billionaire has secured his family’s approval to dedicate 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s net worth is estimated at $35.1 billion, meaning one-third of his wealth would amount to about $11.7 billion.
She explained that her father considers philanthropy a central part of his legacy and has incorporated the donation into the family’s inheritance plans.
Halima said Dangote had already donated 25 per cent of his wealth to the Aliko Dangote Foundation and structured his will in line with Islamic inheritance principles to allocate 33 per cent of his estate to charitable causes.
She noted that the arrangement was designed to ensure the foundation’s work continues across generations.
According to her, the family believes its business success is closely tied to its commitment to giving back, making philanthropy a lasting part of its legacy.
Established in 1994, the Aliko Dangote Foundation has become one of Africa’s largest philanthropic organisations.
Halima revealed that the foundation received an endowment of $1.25 billion about a decade ago and has since been strengthened with an additional $700 million in funding.
She said about 70 per cent of the foundation’s spending supports projects in Nigeria, while 20 per cent is invested in initiatives across Africa, with the remaining funds allocated to programmes in other parts of the world.
The foundation focuses on health, education, nutrition and humanitarian relief, and has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several northern Nigerian state governments on initiatives that contributed to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa.
Earlier this year, TIME magazine named Dangote among the world’s most influential philanthropists in its inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the foundation’s work, which spends more than ₦50 billion annually on programmes across Africa.
