By Peace Udugba -The daily torch media
The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), chaired by Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth ₦1.5 billion with Bayero University Kano (BUK) to provide scholarships for postgraduate students of the Dangote Business School.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday at the Business School’s main auditorium in Kano, provides ₦300 million annually over five years to support eligible MBA, Entrepreneurship, and Management postgraduate students.
Under the MoU, 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 session. The amount represents 50 per cent of the current ₦300,000 tuition fee paid by postgraduate students. The Business School currently has 1,225 students, comprising 696 fresh and 529 returning students.
Speaking at the event, Dangote, who is also President of Dangote Industries Limited, was represented by Mariya Aliko Dangote. He stated that the Foundation’s vision is to build human capital that translates into economic opportunity, adding that strengthening business and entrepreneurship education is key to driving innovation, enterprise, and job creation. He noted that the scholarship deepens the Foundation’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of business leaders and change-makers.
Prof. Haruna Musa commended the initiative, describing it as timely support for many families. According to him, beyond easing financial pressure, the intervention reinforces the Business School’s role in developing entrepreneurial and management talent, particularly among women assuming leadership roles in enterprise.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, MBA student Khalid Bababubu expressed appreciation to the Foundation for the support, pledging that recipients would make judicious use of the opportunity.
The initiative, titled MHF Dangote Graduate Business Scholarship, marks a strategic shift in ADF’s partnership with the Business School—from infrastructure support to direct investment in students and enterprise leadership development.
Unlike the Foundation’s nationwide STEM education interventions targeted at secondary and undergraduate levels, the Dangote Business School scholarship focuses specifically on postgraduate education, strengthening entrepreneurship, management capacity, and leadership development.
Since the commissioning of the Dangote Business School complex in 2018, ADF has supported facility maintenance at the institution. The new scholarship signals a deliberate transition from investing in physical infrastructure to supporting human capital development.
The programme covers both newly admitted and returning students. New students will benefit from automatic tuition reductions during registration, while returning students who have already paid will receive rebates. Any unutilised funds in the first year will be retained within the Business School’s development envelope to enhance learning infrastructure and digital academic capacity.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation’s mission is to expand opportunities for social change through strategic investments in health, education, and economic empowerment, while Bayero University Kano remains committed to excellence in teaching, research, and postgraduate business education.
L-R, Prof. Murtala Sagagi, pioneer Dean of Dangote Business School, Vice Chancellor Dangote Business School, Prof. Haruna Musa; Representatives of Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation, Member Board of Trustee Aliko Dangote Foundation, Mariya Aliko Dangote; Dean of Dangote Business school, Prof. Garba Bello; During the ADF Signing of the MOU for the scholarship programme in Dangote Business School Wudil, Kano State on February 17, 2026.
