Bill Gates, the president of the Gates Foundation, has stated that his main investment for $200 billion will be in Africa and that it will place a premium on working with governments that prioritize the well-being of their citizens.
Despite the current headwinds, Gates reaffirmed this in an address on Monday at Nelson Mandela Hall of the African Union, calling on African leaders to take advantage of the moment to advance health and development through innovation and partnership.
The Gates Foundation’s statement, which addressed more than 12, 000 government officials, diplomats, health workers, development partners, and youth leaders in person and online, underlined the crucial role that African leadership and ingenuity play in shaping the continent’s health and economic future.
Also read: Bill Gates Says AI Is Important for Health, Education, and Innovation.
“Over the next 20 years, I’ve recently made the commitment to give away my wealth.” The majority of that money will be used to assist you in overcoming challenges in Africa.
Every African nation should be on a path to prosperity, according to Gates, who said that by enabling human potential through education and health.
In a fireside conversation to discuss Africa’s development agenda and the investments and partnerships necessary to advance the country’s development, Gates and Dr. Paulin Basinga, the foundation’s director for Africa, joined him.
Calls for collaboration and shared responsibility were also made by prominent African leaders, including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organization, and Amina Mohammed, the deputy secretary-general of the UN.
According to the statement, Mrs. Graça Machel, a well-known advocate for women and children, described the current situation as “a moment of crisis” and stressed the value of lasting partnerships in Africa’s development journey.
A deep appreciation of African leadership, ideas, and innovation are reflected in Mr. Gates’ long-standing partnership with Africa. We rely on Mr. Gates’ unwavering commitment to continue walking this transformation path with us, she said.
Gates said, “With primary healthcare, what we’ve learned is that helping the mother be healthy and well-nourished before she gets pregnant, while she is pregnant, delivers the strongest results.” It makes a big difference to ensure the child is fed well during their first four years.
In his speech, Gates emphasized how bold leadership can be used to unlock new opportunities in nations like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia.
Gates said, “I’ve always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very few resources,” referring to more than 20 years of engagement on the continent.
“The fieldwork has been incredible, even in the most rural areas,” says one researcher.
AI’s transformative potential
Gates also emphasized how significant artificial intelligence is for the continent’s future and spoke about its transformative potential.
He praised Africa’s young innovators, saying he was “seeing young people in Africa embracing this and considering how it applies to the problems they want to solve.”
He continued, “Africa largely skipped traditional banking and now you have a chance to think about how AI is incorporated into that as you build your next-generation healthcare systems,” drawing a parallel to the continent’s mobile banking revolution.
He cited Rwanda as an early sign of this promise, noting that Rwanda is “using AI to improve service delivery.” For instance, AI-enabled ultrasound helps women receive timely, potentially life-saving care by identifying high-risk pregnancies earlier.
