The Aliko Dangote Foundation has signed a ₦1.5 billion Memorandum of Understanding with Bayero University Kano to provide scholarships for postgraduate students at the Dangote Business School.
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The agreement, signed on Tuesday at the school’s main auditorium in Kano, will see the foundation release ₦300 million annually over five years. The funds will go toward supporting eligible MBA, entrepreneurship and management students.
Under the arrangement, each beneficiary will receive ₦150,000 per academic session starting from the 2024/2025 session. The amount covers 50 per cent of the current ₦300,000 tuition fee. The Business School currently has 1,225 postgraduate students, including both new and returning students.
The MoU was signed by Mariya Aliko Dangote, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, on behalf of the foundation, and by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa.
Speaking at the event on behalf of Africa’s richest man and founder of the foundation, Aliko Dangote, Mariya Dangote said the initiative reflects the foundation’s commitment to building human capital.
“Our vision is to invest in people in ways that create real economic opportunities,” she said. “By strengthening business and entrepreneurship education, we are helping to turn knowledge into innovation, enterprise and jobs.”
Professor Musa welcomed the development, describing it as timely support for many families. He noted that beyond easing financial pressure, the scholarship would strengthen the Business School’s role in grooming entrepreneurial and management talent, particularly as more women take on leadership roles in business.
A representative of the beneficiaries, Khalid Bababubu, expressed appreciation for the support, saying the scholarship would not be taken for granted. He described education as a key driver of national development.
The initiative, known as the MHF Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship, signals a shift in the foundation’s support for the school. Since the Dangote Business School complex was commissioned in 2018, the foundation had mainly focused on infrastructure maintenance. This new programme redirects attention toward direct investment in students and leadership development.
The scholarship is separate from the foundation’s nationwide STEM education programmes, which target science and technology education at secondary and undergraduate levels. Instead, this initiative focuses specifically on postgraduate training in business, entrepreneurship and management.
Both new and returning students will benefit. Newly admitted students will receive tuition reductions at registration, while returning students who have already paid their fees will receive rebates. Any unused funds in the first year will be reinvested into strengthening the school’s academic and digital learning infrastructure.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation says its broader mission is to drive social change through investments in health, education and empowerment. Bayero University Kano, one of Nigeria’s leading universities, continues to position its Dangote Business School as a centre of excellence for postgraduate business education.
