Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has announced a N100 billion annual education support programme aimed at keeping financially vulnerable Nigerian students in school.

Speaking at the launch of the national scholarship scheme in Lagos, yesterday, Dangote said too many brilliant young people were being forced out of classrooms because of poverty.

He described education as the “strongest engine of social mobility” and a critical foundation for national development.

The initiative, funded by the Aliko Dangote Foundation, will run for ten years beginning in 2026, costing over N1 trillion in total.

Dangote said the scheme would support 45,000 scholars each year at inception, expanding to 155,000 beneficiaries annually by its fourth year, and maintaining that level for the rest of the decade.

By 2036, he said, the programme is expected to have reached at least 1,325,000 students.

“We cannot allow financial hardship to silence the dreams of our young people, not when the future of our nation depends on their skills, resilience and leadership,” he added.

A major component of the fund is the Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars programme, which will provide annual scholarships for 30,000 undergraduate students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics in public universities and polytechnics.

Each beneficiary will receive tuition support aligned with the fees of their institution and course of study. Dangote said the goal is to expand access to higher education, empower innovation, and give young Nigerians the tools to compete globally.

“STEM drives development. If Nigeria must compete globally, our young minds must have the tools to learn, imagine and innovate,” he said.

The Rivers State Government says its 2026 Budget will focus more on revamping the education sector as well as completing all ongoing projects in the State.

Also to be given priority include healthcare, infrastructure, youth unemployment and security.

Principal Secretary to the Governor of Rivers State, Dr Ayebaesin Beredugo, said this during the 2026 Pre Budget Workshop and Public Consultation on the 2026 Budget Estimate, organised by the Rivers Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Port Harcourt.

According to him, the key sectors of the proposed budget include education, youth employment, healthcare, security, and completion of all ongoing projects in the State.

He said 70 percent of the budget will focus more on infrastructural delivery, stressing that all ongoing projects will be completed, while award of new projects will be minimal.

Beredugo said the State will be among the first in the country to establish a State Police if the National Assembly gives its endorsement, adding however, that the State will continue to work with the Federal Police to ensure security of lives and property in the State.

He said youth unemployment will be tackled through massive skills acquisition programme, while overheads to Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAS ) will increase.

He said the revoked contract on the rehabilitation of the Rivers State Secretariat will be re-awarded as government is currently reviewing it.

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Imaonyani Ephraim-George, said the workshop was to get the inputs of all stakeholders towards the preparation of the budget.

According to her, aside the Ministries Departments and Agencies which are arms of the government, others whose inputs are also needed in the preparation of the budget  are market women, persons with disabilities, civil society organisations, students groups, among others.

George said the governor was desirous of broadening the scope of citizens participation in the budgeting process by involving all strata of the society.

World Trade Organisation Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has celebrated her inclusion on Forbes’ 100 World’s Most Powerful Women list for 2025, marking her eighth appearance on the prestigious ranking.

In a post via her verified X (formerly Twitter) handle yesterday, Okonjo-Iweala expressed her gratitude and reflected on the responsibility that comes with influence.

“Nice to make (for the eighth time) the @Forbes List of the 100 most powerful women of the world 2025 and to be on the cover of the magazine. With power comes responsibility! We are doing our best to fight for and reform the rules-based multilateral trading system, which the world needs to avoid a chaotic approach to world trade that would hurt the smallest and the least powerful countries,” she wrote.

She also congratulated her fellow African women on the list, including Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister, Suminwa Judith, CEO of Bidvest, Mpumi Madisa, CEO of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu, and Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley.

The annual Forbes list recognises women who hold significant influence in business, politics, culture, and global leadership.

Okonjo-Iweala, ranked 92nd, is the first woman and first African to serve as WTO Director-General, a position she assumed in March 2021.

Forbes described her as “an economist and international development professional” with over 30 years of experience across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

She previously served two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006.

The WTO boss also chaired the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has immunised more than 760 million children globally.

Okonjo-Iweala holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is recognised for her belief in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and promote sustainable development.