Africa’s richest person and the continent’s top donor Aliko Dangote has announced that he is upping his philanthropic works across Africa, starting from his home country Nigeria.

The Dangote Group, which has made whooping donations across Africa said in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos: “Africans must begin to take responsibilities by shaping the condition of its people.”

The statement said within two years only, the Dangote Group through its Foundation has doled out about N30 billion in humanitarian gestures.

“This is including the Dangote Academy that worth about a N1b, through which manpower is developed across various disciplines,” the statement said.

Only last month, the Dangote cement, Ibese, through the Dangote Foundation announced a scholarship for some Yewa (Ogun State) community 50 students of various secondary and tertiary institutions.

The Group had donated $500,000 to victims of explosion in Republic of Congo.

Dangote Foundation also contributed a huge $2m to flood victims in Pakistan and N120m to cushion the effect of famine in Niger Republic.

Two years ago, the company also made a staggering donation of N2.5b to cushion the effect of flooding in Nigeria, making that the single highest donation by a private body in the country’s history.

Dangote also donated N430m to flood victims, unemployed youths and women in Kogi State in the same year.

Three years back the Dangote Foundation gave out about N1b for the economic empowerment of women in Kano State.

Only recently the Foundation donated N540m to vulnerable women as a result of insurgency in the North East of Nigeria.

The Group had pumped over N1b into the rehabilitation of some Nigerian universities, as part of its contribution to the educational sector.

Two months ago, the Dangote Foundation donated 12 trailer loads of relief items worth N40m to support the government in bringing sucour to victim of communal clash that displaced people.

The Group had also donated N100m to victims of Lagos flooding, another N100m to those in Sokoto and N60m to victims of flooding in Oyo State, two years back.

The statement quoted Alhaji Dangote as saying: “About this philanthropy, I think from this year, I personally want to take it very seriously. I want to be much more aggressive than what we have had in the past.”

According to him, “We already have a Foundation which will do all these things, but I am trying to see what we can do to encourage, not only Nigerians, but other Africans.”

He added: “I am not going to give all my money to charity, but I am going to try my best and give part of that money to charity. I am working hard on it,”

The statement said in Benue State alone, the Group has been running an annual scholarship scheme worth N10m to indigenes of Gboko communities.

It said 15 villages in the state were electrified at the cost of N115m, adding that 14 blocks of classrooms have been constructed for the community around the company at the cost of N84 billion.

It added that 19 boreholes were constructed for the communities, and that an earth dam valued at N50m was also constructed.

Apart from the monthly payment of allowances to traditional rulers, a vigilante contract to ensure N2m regular income to the community was also instituted by the Group.

“We have also donated N15m to the community’s development foundation, and we are helping through the community empowerment scheme, while our one hundred bed hospital has been approved for construction within the community,” the statement added.

This is in addition to N78m compensation paid during the takeover of the company, additional N60m inconvenience allowance has been paid to families.

•Photo shows Dangote.

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