From Femi Otedola to Sudhir Ruparelia: african billionaires’ latest investments in education

In recent weeks, three prominent billionaires, Nigeria’s Abdul Samad Rabiu and Femi Otedola, and Uganda’s Sudhir Ruparelia, have unveiled major education-focused initiatives.

From endowing university faculties to funding scholarships and infrastructure, they are redefining philanthropy by channeling personal wealth into long-term educational development across the continent.

Nigeria’s second-richest man, Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group and ASR Africa, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $8.9 billion, has donated a ₦350 million (US$241,000) lecture theatre to Adamawa State University in Northern Nigeria.

The 500-seat facility, named after Rabiu, includes four boreholes to enhance the campus water supply.

It was funded through the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grant Scheme; the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and development arm of BUA Group, Rabiu’s industrial conglomerate that operates across cement, sugar, food, and infrastructure sectors.

Represented at the commissioning by Aliyu Idi Hong, a director at BUA Group, Rabiu reaffirmed his commitment to improving education infrastructure in Nigeria.

To date, ASR Africa has supported more than 30 universities and specialised institutions with grants ranging from $170,000 to $1.3 million, depending on project scale.

Also in Nigeria, billionaire industrialist Femi Otedola, Chairman of Geregu Power Plc and Chancellor of Augustine University, has pledged ₦4 billion (US$2.7 million) toward the expansion of the university’s campus in Lagos State.

With an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, according to Forbes, Otedola’s latest contribution will fund the construction of a new academic building; the second phase of the Dame Doja Otedola Faculty of Engineering, named in honour of his late mother.

Describing the initiative as both a personal tribute and a national investment, Otedola wrote,

“This marks the second phase of the Dame Doja Otedola Faculty of Engineering — a tribute to my beloved mother and to the power of education to transform lives,” Otedola wrote.

He added that the project reflects his belief in education as a cornerstone of social mobility and sustainable national growth.

“Nigeria’s future depends on the brilliance of its young people, and we must continue to invest in the institutions that shape them,”“

In Uganda, Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, the country’s richest man and founder of the Ruparelia Group, and his wife Jyotsna have launched a 100-award scholarship programme at Victoria University, Kampala, in honour of their late son, Rajiv Ruparelia.

Announced during the university’s ninth graduation ceremony at Speke Resort, the Rajiv Ruparelia Bursary will provide full tuition for high-performing students progressing to advanced and professional studies.

Dr. Ruparelia said the scholarships are a way to “turn loss into opportunity” and invest in Uganda’s human capital.

While billionaires are often stereotyped as self-centered or profit-driven, these initiatives signal a growing evolution in African philanthropy, one that moves beyond ad hoc charity toward structured, impact-driven investment.

From Rabiu’s education infrastructure projects to Otedola’s engineering endowment and Ruparelia’s scholarship programme, Africa’s wealthiest individuals are increasingly aligning business success with social responsibility.