Dangote Foundation to Give Students 10 Free Refinery Shares in IPO Grant Scheme
By Aboki Forex —
The Aliko Dangote Foundation has launched a Student Share Grant Initiative that will give qualifying Nigerian students 10 free shares in Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE once they subscribe to the company's ongoing initial public offering.
The programme is open to students aged 18 and above who are enrolled in public or private tertiary institutions across the country.
How the grant works
To qualify, a student must complete a verification process and subscribe to at least 10 shares through the foundation's dedicated platform, ipo.alikodangotefoundation.org. The foundation will then fund an additional 10 shares in the student's name at no cost to them.
The Dangote Refinery IPO opened on September 14, 2026, and will close on October 13, 2026. Shares are priced at N525 each, meaning the minimum subscription of 10 shares requires a payment of N5,250 from the student.
Dangote: students need pathways into wealth
Aliko Dangote said young people need more than access to education. They need pathways into wealth creation.
"Through this initiative, we want students to understand the value of saving, responsible investing and long-term ownership. Our goal is to help them develop an investment mindset early in life," he said.
He added that early exposure to investment opportunities could shape future financial behaviour and draw more young Nigerians into the formal economy.
Closing the gap between learning and practice
ADF Chief Executive Zouera Youssoufou said the programme was designed to close the gap between learning about finance and actually practising it.
"Financial literacy becomes more impactful when people can apply what they learn," she said.
Youssoufou noted that participating students would go through the full investment cycle, from verification and subscription through to allotment and ownership, giving them a complete picture of how capital markets work.
"We are seeking to inspire a lifelong interest in financial literacy, investing and asset ownership among young Nigerians," she added.
Dangote's wider refinery push
Dangote has predicted that African countries will largely stop importing refined petroleum products from outside the continent by 2030, as he prepares to launch a major refinery project in Kenya.
He spoke in Nairobi ahead of the groundbreaking of the 700,000 barrels-per-day facility, valued at $16 billion. It is set to be commissioned in Lamu on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast on Wednesday, with construction expected to run for about 30 months. The Lamu project has not been without pushback.
The foundation said the knowledge students gain through the initiative could lay the groundwork for better financial decisions and wider participation in Nigeria's capital market over the long term. It described the scheme as part of a broader push to advance education, economic inclusion and practical financial knowledge among young Nigerians.