Aliko Dangote: 5 African Billionaires Using Wealth for Philanthropy

Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian businessman and one of the wealthiest people in Africa with great concern for giving back to society. He is founder and CEO of the Dangote Group, a conglomerate that operates in several African countries.

Dangote has used his wealth to support various philanthropic causes in Nigeria and across Africa. One of his significant initiatives is the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which focuses on poverty alleviation, education, and health care.

Aside from the richest man in Africa, there are several other billionaires who have used their wealth to contribute immensely towards philanthropic acts in the continent. Let’s look at some other billionaires who have shown great concern towards giving back to life.

Mo Ibrahim

Sir Mohammed Fathi Ahmed Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British businessman is one of the several billionaires who have used their wealth towards humanitarianism.

He founded Mo Ibrahim Foundation, established in 2006 as a non-grant making organisation to strengthen sound governance and leadership in Africa through initiatives like the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership,Ibrahim Governance Weekend, and Ibrahim Fellowships and Scholarships and the Now Generation Network.

Mo Ibrahim is the founder of Celtel international, a telecom company he sold in 2005 for $3.4 billion. Afterwards, he invested a significant portion of his earnings into private investments which have made one of the richest persons in Africa. He has an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion according to Forbes.

Patrice Motsepe

Patrice Motsepe is another African billionaire who has contributed towards charity in the continent. Mr Patrice Motsepe along with his wife, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe founded the Motsepe Foundation in 1999, an initiative to alleviate poverty and to sustainably improve the living standards of the unemployed, poor, and marginalised people.

The foundation supports causes such as education, health, and entrepreneurship in South Africa and other African countries.

The south-African entrepreneur is the founder of the African Rainbow Minerals, a mining company with interests in a wide range of mines, including platinum and platinum group metals, iron, coal, copper, and gold. Mostsepe has an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion according to Forbes.

Strive Masiyiwa

Strive Mayisiwa is a Zimbabwean billionaire who has been at the forefront of donating millions of dollars to various causes in the continent including education and health. With his family’s fortune, he built one of the largest support programs for educating orphans in Africa and has educated more than 40,000 children.

Masiyiwa and his wife are also signatories of the Bill Gates and Warren Buffett initiative known as the Giving Pledge. The founder of Econet Global, a diversified telecommunications group has supported several health issues including campaigns against HIV/AIDS, Cervical Cancer, malnutrition, EBOLA, and more recently, COVID-19. 

Abdulsamad Rabiu

A Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who is the founder and chairman of BUA Group, a conglomerate concentrating on manufacturing, production, infrastructure and agriculture is also in the lists of philanthropic activities in the continent.

Through his initiatives, the BUA Group Foundation and the Abdulsamad Rabiu Initiative Africa, he has contributed towards humanitarianism including the construction of a 7,000-square-meter paediatric ward at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the construction of the Centre for Islamic Studies at Bayero University Kano,  amongst several others.

Nassef Sawiris

Nassef Sawiris, the founder of Orascom Construction,  an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor company has contributed towards humanitarianism in his country and Africa. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of $7.5 billion.

Sawiris founded Sawiris Foundation for Social Development in 2005 to create projects that provide job opportunities for Egyptians, placement of qualified Egyptians in the job market, scholarships in various colleges and universities. The foundation also distributes annual literary prizes for Egyptian Literature in novels, story collections, and short stories.