Dangote unveils fellowship for young Africans, offers to cover travel expenses for 6 years

Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest entrepreneur, has reiterated his commitment to support African fellowship programme, an initiative aimed at supporting and nurturing future leaders across the continent.

The programme which is now in its 12th year, seeks to empower young Africans from medium enterprises (SMEs) and non-business entities help them participate in the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Community, BusinessDay reports.

The Young Global Leaders programme is an accelerator for a dynamic community of exceptional young people from all over the world with the vision, courage, and influence to drive positive change in the world.

Dangote's support for the program comes through his non-profit organization, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF).

In a statement, ADF stated that its partnership with YDL is because their mission aligns perfectly. Hence, the Aliko Dangote African Fellowship program was established to ensure the full engagement of young African leaders, enabling them to participate in the Forum's Young Global Leaders Community.

The fellowship covers the cost of participation at the World Economic Forum and YGL-led events for six years for each Fellow. So far, 15 to 20 young leaders from sub-Saharan Africa have been selected through a rigorous selection process.

Reactions on the fellowship

In a recent tour by the fellows to the ongoing refinery project in Lagos, Aliko Dangote encouraged the fellows to put in their best in their various fields and not be discouraged when setbacks occur, because those are to be expected.

He also encouraged them to continue raising their ambition for our continent because nothing is impossible.

Also Speaking Zouera Youssoufou, managing director/CEO of the ADF said: "Dangote's support ensures that young African leaders, who may not have otherwise had the opportunity, can actively participate in the YGL Community and engage with global leaders"

"We thanked Dangote for his continuous support of the YGLs, and assured him that his investment is not in vain, as the young global leaders are achieving exploits in their respective fields and living up to the expectations of being true African future leaders."

Also, Fatima Aliko Dangote, ED Dangote Industries, expressed pride in the diversity and high proportion of female fellows in the 2023 Cohort.

Bictor Ochen, Aliko Dangote YGL alum and executive director of the African Youth Initiative Network, said he was extremely impressed.

He said: "I thank Dangote for his generosity, which has provided many young African leaders, regardless of the country, the much-needed financial means to participate in YGL events. Without the support of ADF, our active participation would not have been possiblle."