THISDAY Awards: Nominees for Philanthropy of the Year

UBA Foundation:

Promoting Education and Community Devt

The UBA Foundation (UBAF), the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), has become a pivotal force in supporting education, community welfare, and environmental sustainability in Nigeria.

In 2024, the foundation expanded its impact through the “Each One, Teach One” initiative, which focuses on mentoring students in underserved schools. This programme has reached over 1 million students across Nigeria, equipping them with life skills and career guidance.

Given that Education remains at the heart of the UBA Foundation’s mission, they have given out hundreds of thousands of books across Africa with the ‘Read Africa’ initiative. This programme also ensures that African authors are given priority and promoted as well as investing in them

Also, the annual National Essay Competition, aimed at secondary school students, continues to foster a culture of critical thinking and literacy. In 2024, the competition awarded scholarships to 12 winners, granting them full funding to pursue tertiary education in any Nigerian university.

Beyond education, the foundation also actively engages in community development projects, including equipping hospitals with medical supplies and sponsoring sanitation campaigns.

Through its Tree Planting Campaign, the foundation has contributed to environmental sustainability by planting over 50,000 trees nationwide, promoting awareness about climate change and conservation. They also plan to plant a million trees across Africa this year.

MTN Foundation:

Making Significant Contributions to Society

The MTN Foundation, the philanthropic arm of MTN Nigeria, has made significant contributions to improving healthcare, education, and economic empowerment. A leader in using technology for social good, the foundation has focused on reducing the digital divide in Nigeria.

In 2024, the Digital Skills for Tomorrow programme provided training in coding, robotics, and digital marketing to over 30,000 young Nigerians.

This initiative targeted both urban and rural youth, preparing them for careers in the fast-growing tech industry. The foundation also launched a scholarship programme for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), awarding over 500 fully funded scholarships this year.

Healthcare remains a cornerstone of MTN Foundation’s work. Through its What Can We Do Together initiative, the foundation refurbished primary healthcare centres in rural areas, delivering essential medical equipment and supplies. Additionally, the Yellow Heart Campaign continued to focus on maternal and child health, providing free antenatal care and raising awareness about malnutrition and maternal mortality. In the arts and culture space, MTN Foundation supports emerging Nigerian artists through grants, exhibitions, and mentorship programmes, celebrating Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and enabling creative professionals to thrive.

NLNG:

Nigeria Prize for Literature

The Nigeria Prize for Literature, popularly known as the NLNG Prize, stands as one of Africa’s most prestigious literary awards, a philanthropic gesture that not only rewards talent but also reaffirms the enduring value of literature in shaping identities, fostering unity, and driving change.

Instituted by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) company in 2004, this annual award is a philanthropic endeavor aimed at celebrating and promoting Nigerian authors and their contributions to literature. With a monetary reward of $100,000, the prize underscores NLNG’s commitment to fostering literary excellence and preserving the cultural heritage of Nigeria.

Through this initiative, NLNG seeks to inspire creative writing and encourage intellectual discourse within and beyond the country’s borders. By supporting writers across genres—fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature—it serves as a platform to spotlight the richness of Nigerian storytelling and amplify the voices of its authors on the global stage.

Beyond the monetary incentive, the NLNG Prize highlights the transformative power of literature in addressing social, economic, and political issues. It reflects NLNG’s broader commitment to national development, demonstrating how corporate social responsibility can intersect with cultural preservation to inspire future generations of thinkers and writers.

Dangote Foundation:

Redefining Corporate Social Responsibility

The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), led by Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, has made monumental strides in philanthropy, focusing on poverty alleviation and public health. ADF’s largest programme in 2024 revolved around its nutrition and food security projects, distributing over 50,000 metric tonnes of food items to underserved communities across Nigeria.

Moreover, the foundation has invested significantly in healthcare, constructing hospitals and funding mobile health clinics that deliver free medical services to rural areas. ADF’s recent N10 billion investment in building a state-of-the-art paediatric hospital in Abuja is a testament to its dedication to improving healthcare access for Nigerian children. The foundation also supports education through scholarships and infrastructure development in schools across the country.

Fidelity Bank:

Financial Inclusion for Grassroots Development

Fidelity Bank has distinguished itself not only as a leading financial institution but also as a key driver of social change in Nigeria. Through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, the bank has focused on financial literacy, women empowerment, and environmental sustainability.

In 2024, Fidelity Bank launched an initiative aimed at equipping rural women with microfinance loans to start or expand small businesses. This programme reached over 20,000 women, providing them with access to financial services previously unavailable to them. Furthermore, the bank implemented financial literacy workshops, teaching participants how to save, budget, and grow their investments.

Fidelity Bank also made strides in education by adopting schools in disadvantaged areas, upgrading facilities, and introducing digital learning tools. Its “Green Earth” initiative, focused on environmental conservation, saw the planting of 100,000 trees nationwide to combat deforestation and climate change.