Kano Government Hands Dangote Foundation 20-Year Management of Skills Centre

The Kano State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Aliko Dangote Foundation for the takeover and management of the Aliko Dangote Skills Acquisition Centre for the next 20 years.

The agreement, signed on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, is aimed at repositioning the centre and expanding its capacity to provide entrepreneurial and vocational training opportunities for young people across Kano State.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Kano, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.

The MoU was signed at the Office of the Secretary to the Kano State Government, with the state government represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Abdulkareem Maude.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation was represented at the ceremony by its Programme Manager (North), Alhaji Sanusi Abdulkadir, and Programme Support Officer, Mustapha Umar.

Speaking through the SSG, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf said the partnership would bring significant development to the skills centre and create wider opportunities for young people in the state.

According to the governor, the foundation has the technical and managerial capacity required to transform the facility into a leading institution for entrepreneurial and vocational training in Nigeria and the wider West African sub-region.

Governor Yusuf said the decision followed deliberations by the State Executive Council, which approved the management arrangement as part of efforts to introduce best practices into vocational and skills development programmes.

He expressed confidence that the foundation, led by business magnate Aliko Dangote, would deploy its expertise and resources towards strengthening the skills and entrepreneurial capacity of Kano’s growing youth population.

The governor also described Dangote as one of the prominent sons of Kano and expressed optimism that his foundation’s involvement would contribute meaningfully to human capital development in the state.

The 20-year arrangement is expected to give the Dangote Foundation responsibility for repositioning and managing the centre while expanding its role as a platform for vocational and entrepreneurial development.

The partnership comes as governments and private-sector organisations increasingly seek to strengthen technical and vocational education as a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment for young Nigerians.

For Kano State, the government said the collaboration is expected to maximise the potential of the skills acquisition centre and provide more young people with practical skills capable of improving their economic prospects.