The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has described the N100 billion annual education scholarship initiative of the Aliko Dangote Foundation as a major step towards expanding access to education financing in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, NELFUND said the initiative, unveiled in Lagos, represents a strong private-sector partnership aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his commitment to ensuring access to quality education for Nigerian students.
The scholarship scheme was launched in the presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Tinubu at the event.
According to the statement, the Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, commended the President for promoting collaborative approaches to strengthening the education sector.
“On behalf of NELFUND, we commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for advancing partnerships that enhance our education system. The Dangote Foundation’s N100bn annual scholarship scheme directly supports the President’s drive to eliminate financial obstacles to education and empower the next generation of Nigerian talent,” Sawyerr said.
He noted that the foundation’s 10-year commitment, which targets students in public secondary schools, public tertiary institutions, and includes a strong focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), would significantly support national efforts to widen access to education funding.
Sawyerr also reaffirmed NELFUND’s willingness to work closely with the Dangote Foundation and relevant government agencies to ensure transparency, efficiency and widespread impact.
“NELFUND is ready to collaborate, provide support and work with all partners to maximise the reach and effectiveness of this programme. We remain committed to ensuring that no Nigerian is denied educational opportunities due to financial limitations,” he added.
The fund further stressed that sustained collaboration among government institutions, the private sector and development partners is critical to building an inclusive and resilient education ecosystem, in line with President Tinubu’s call for shared responsibility in national development.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, officially announced the N100bn annual scholarship scheme under the Aliko Dangote Foundation. The initiative is aimed at supporting financially disadvantaged students, keeping them in school and strengthening Nigeria’s human capital base.
The decade-long programme, scheduled to begin in 2026, is projected to start with 45,000 beneficiaries and expand to about 155,000 scholars annually by its fourth year, eventually reaching approximately 1.3 million students across the country’s 774 local government areas.
A key feature of the initiative is the Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars programme, which will offer tuition support to 30,000 undergraduate students each year in public universities and polytechnics, with the broader objective of promoting innovation and increasing access to higher education.
