Aliko Dangote pledges $2 million to raise young leaders

A blog post by Mfonobong Nsehe, Forbes

Africa’s richest man and Nigeria’s first billionaire, Aliko Dangote, has pledged $2 million to establish a fellowship program aimed at grooming young leaders from Africa.

He made the pledge during a press conference at the just concluded World Economic Forum on Africa which was held in Cape Town from the 2nd-5th of May.

Details of the fellowship as well as the selection criteria are yet to emerge, but Dangote promised that his Dangote Foundation will award the fellowship to 35 young Africans. According to Dangote, the objective of the program is to increase the participation of young Africans, particularly those in the non-business sector in the Young Global Leaders (YGL) community program being run by the World Economic Forum. During the press conference Dangote said the fellowship will initially run for five years, and will play a key role in integrating African young global leaders into the global arena. Beneficiaries of the fellowship would go through intense leadership training at highly ranked international institutions.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders is an initiative by the World Economic Forum that brings together more than 700 exceptional young leaders in business and politics who share a commitment to shaping the global future. The young leaders are all under age 40 and are chosen through a rigorous selection process. Only individuals who have accomplished noteworthy achievements and have demonstrated a commitment to improving the societies in which they live are accepted.