The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has commended the Aliko Dangote Foundation for unveiling a N100 billion annual education scholarship scheme, describing it as a major intervention that will significantly widen access to education financing across Nigeria.

NELFUND said the initiative would help address financial barriers confronting students and strengthen ongoing national efforts to expand access to quality education.

This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.

According to the statement, the scholarship programme was unveiled in Lagos in the presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu.

NELFUND described the initiative as a bold demonstration of effective private-sector partnership that aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly his commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable access to education for Nigerian children.

“On behalf of NELFUND, we applaud President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for championing collaborative solutions that strengthen our education system,” the statement quoted the Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, as saying.

Sawyerr said the Dangote Foundation’s N100 billion annual scholarship scheme directly complements the Federal Government’s efforts to remove financial barriers to education and empower the next generation of Nigerian talent.

He noted that the foundation’s decade-long commitment, which targets students in public secondary schools and public tertiary institutions, including a strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) component, would significantly enhance national education financing initiatives.

According to him, the STEM-focused track of the programme is particularly critical to building Nigeria’s future workforce and boosting innovation and human capital development.

Sawyerr further emphasised NELFUND’s readiness to collaborate closely with the Dangote Foundation and relevant government partners to ensure transparency, efficiency and broad national impact in the implementation of the programme.

“NELFUND stands ready to engage, support and work collaboratively to maximise the reach and effectiveness of this programme.

“We are committed to ensuring that no Nigerian is denied educational opportunity due to financial constraints,” he said.

The fund also reaffirmed that sustained collaboration among government institutions, the private sector and development partners remains essential to building a resilient, inclusive and sustainable education ecosystem in Nigeria.

NELFUND said such partnerships reflect President Tinubu’s renewed call for shared responsibility in driving national development.

Meanwhile, it recalled that on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, officially unveiled the N100 billion annual scholarship scheme under the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

The initiative is aimed at keeping financially vulnerable Nigerian students in school and strengthening the country’s human capital base.

According to details of the programme, the 10-year scholarship scheme will commence in 2026 and is expected to begin with about 45,000 beneficiaries.

The number of scholars is projected to increase to 155,000 annually by the fourth year of implementation, with a long-term target of reaching approximately 1.3 million students across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

A key component of the initiative is the Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars programme, which will provide tuition support for about 30,000 undergraduate students each year in public universities and polytechnics nationwide.

The STEM scheme is designed to expand access to higher education, promote innovation and equip young Nigerians with skills relevant to national development.