Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu's charity launches program for young doctors

Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu's philanthropic foundation, ASR Africa, has launched a program to prepare final-year medical students for work in hospitals, starting with a pilot at the University of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria.

The ASR Health Innovation Series targets final-stage medical trainees and aims to bridge "the gap between academic study and clinical practice," according to ASR Africa. It covers the move into housemanship, the one-year internship Nigerian medical graduates must complete before full practice, as well as medical ethics, leadership, personal branding and career planning beyond the MBBS degree.

The program is built as a series of three sessions held both online and in person, using short case studies and scenarios. It also aims to open access to overseas training, scholarships and fellowships, and to connect students and young doctors with local and international mentors. ASR Africa said the series will treat innovation and digital health as "essential competencies for African doctors." The foundation, which described the initiative as part of the vision of its chairman, Rabiu, said it is open to partnerships across the medical sector.

The organization did not disclose the program's cost or how many students will take part in the pilot.

A return to Maiduguri

The University of Maiduguri, in Borno state, has already received one of Rabiu's largest gifts to a Nigerian campus. ASR Africa built the ASR International Centre for Innovations and Entrepreneurship at the university for about 1 billion naira ($751,000). Vice President Kashim Shettima commissioned it in November 2023 on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and described Rabiu's contribution as a "service to humanity."

The university was one of six institutions across Nigeria's geopolitical zones that each received a 1 billion naira commitment from ASR Africa for new buildings and facilities.

Health spending

Rabiu, 66, set up ASR Africa in 2021 with an initial endowment of $100 million a year, split equally between projects in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. The foundation, run by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ubon Udoh, focuses on education, health and social development.

Its health work has so far centered on hospital buildings and equipment. ASR Africa has committed 2.5 billion naira ($1.88 million) each to an oncology and diagnostic center in Kwara state, a mother and child hospital in Ogun state, medical equipment for the Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Edo state and medical sciences buildings for Sokoto State University. It is also funding a 500 million naira ($375,000) hospital for the Nigeria Customs Service in Bauchi state. In 2023, it partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development on a $500,000 donation to equip tuberculosis treatment centers across Nigeria.

Most of the foundation's university spending has gone into construction, including a 310 million naira ($232,800) student hostel at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and a 270 million naira ($202,700) sports complex at the University of Jos, both handed over in November 2025. It has also run student mentorship programs at Babcock University in Nigeria and at Université Assane Seck in Ziguinchor, Senegal.

Rabiu is the founder and chairman of BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate with interests in manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture. His two biggest assets are controlling stakes in BUA Cement and BUA Foods, both listed on the Nigerian Exchange. Forbes put his net worth at $11.1 billion on its 2026 world billionaires list, more than double his fortune a year earlier, making him the third-richest person in Africa.