Majority of Bill Gates’ approximately $200 billion vision: In a speech today at the African Union’s Nelson Mandela Hall, Gates Foundation Chair Bill Gates urged African leaders to take advantage of the current challenges to accelerate development and health advances via collaboration and innovation.
With an emphasis on collaborating with governments that place a high priority on the health and welfare of their citizens, he declared that the majority of the foundation’s $200 billion spent over the next 20 years will go to Africa.
“I recently pledged to distribute my wealth over the next 20 years.” The vast majority of the money will go toward assisting you in tackling issues in Africa.
Speaking both in person and virtually to more than 12,000 government representatives, diplomats, medical professionals, development partners, and young leaders, he emphasized the vital role that African leadership and creativity would play in determining the health and economic destiny of the continent.
Every African nation should be on a path to prosperity by releasing human potential via health and education, and it’s a wonderful journey to be a part of, Gates stated.
After his speech, Gates spoke with Dr. Paulin Basinga, the director of the foundation’s Africa division, in a fireside conversation about Africa’s development agenda and the partnerships and investments required to propel further advancement.
World Trade Organization director-general Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and United Nations deputy secretary-general Amina J. Mohammed were among the notable African leaders who made calls for cooperation and shared responsibility.
Renowned women’s and children’s rights activist Mrs. Graça Machel called the current state of affairs “a moment of crisis” and underlined the need of long-term collaborations in Africa’s development process.
She noted that Mr. Gates’ longstanding relationship with Africa shows a profound comprehension of these issues as well as a respect for African leadership, creativity, and ideas. “Mr. Gates’ unwavering dedication to continuing this journey of change with us is what we are counting on.”
Africa has made enormous advances in health, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underlined, thanks to effective collaborations, resilient communities, and strong government leadership.
“Investing in primary healthcare has the greatest impact on health and wellbeing,” Gates emphasized as he asked for primary healthcare to be prioritized.
“In primary healthcare, we’ve discovered that the best outcomes are obtained when the mother is healthy and eating well before becoming pregnant and during her pregnancy. Good nutrition during the first four years of life significantly impacts the child’s health and wellbeing.
The nations of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia are demonstrating what is possible when fearless leadership uses innovation, as Gates’ address emphasized.
These nation-led initiatives are generating scalable, domestic advancements, from extending frontline health services and leveraging data to reduce child mortality to implementing cutting-edge tools to combat HIV and malaria and preserving primary healthcare in the face of financial constraints.
According to Gates, who has been involved on the continent for more than 20 years, “I’ve always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very limited resources.” “The field work to get solutions out, even in the most rural areas, has been incredible,” he continued.
Gates discussed the revolutionary possibilities of AI, pointing out its importance for the future of the continent. He commended the youthful innovators in Africa, stating that he was “observing young people in Africa adopting this, and considering its relevance to the issues that they wish to resolve.”
He continued by drawing a comparison to the mobile banking revolution on the continent, saying, “Africa largely skipped traditional banking and now you have a chance, as you build your next generation healthcare systems, to think about how AI is built into that.”
As an early illustration of this promise, he cited Rwanda, saying, “Rwanda is using AI to improve service delivery.” Examples include AI-enabled ultrasound, which can help women obtain prompt, potentially life-saving care by identifying high-risk pregnancies earlier.
Gates will personally observe the status of health and development priorities in Ethiopia and Nigeria this week, following cuts to foreign aid. He will also reaffirm the foundation’s and his own commitment to assisting Africa’s advancement in these areas over the next two decades.
Gates stated, “Our foundation is becoming more and more committed to Africa.” We had our first office in Africa here in Ethiopia some thirteen years ago. Our offices are currently located in Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. That is an excellent method for us to fortify our collaborations.
When Gates visited Ethiopia, he spoke with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on how Ethiopia is continuing to advance important reforms, growing access to basic services, and adjusting to changing international aid dynamics. A roundtable discussion on the nation’s iodine-folic acid double-fortified salt effort was also attended by Gates and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute.
Gates is scheduled to travel from Addis Ababa to Nigeria, where he will meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and discuss Nigeria’s primary health care reforms with federal and state authorities.
Along with meeting with local scientists and partners forming Nigeria’s national AI strategy and expanding health solutions, he will also take part in a Goalkeepers Nigeria event, which is centered on Africa’s innovative future.
Following the foundation’s historic May 8 announcement that it will invest $200 billion over the next 20 years to enhance efforts to save and improve lives, as well as Gates’ pledge to donate almost all of his wealth to the foundation during that time, Gates made the trip.
The foundation and its partners will strive to achieve three main objectives over the next 20 years: preventing preventable deaths of mothers and infants; ensuring that the next generation is not subjected to life-threatening infectious diseases; and rescuing millions of people from poverty and placing them on the path to prosperity.
The foundation will cease operations at the end of 20 years.
To save lives, create vaccinations, and fortify systems, the Gates Foundation has collaborated with African partners for the past 20 years.
With the aid of Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, it has helped spark over 100 breakthroughs and saved over 80 million lives.
