Gates Foundation Chair Bill Gates has urged African leaders to seize the moment to accelerate progress in health and development through innovation and partnership, despite current headwinds.
Gates delivered his address on Monday at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He announced that the majority of his $200 billion spend over the next 20 years will go to Africa, with a focus on partnering with governments that prioritise the health and wellbeing of their people.
“I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa,” the billionaire philanthropist said.
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Addressing more than 12,000 government officials, diplomats, health workers, development partners and youth leaders in person and online, Gates underscored the critical role of African leadership and ingenuity in driving the continent’s health and economic future.
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“By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity and that path is an exciting thing to be part of,” Gates said.
He also spoke about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), noting its relevance for the continent’s future.
He praised Africa’s young innovators, saying he was “seeing young people in Africa embracing this and thinking about how it applies to the problems that they want to solve.”
Drawing a parallel to the continent’s mobile banking revolution, he added, “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.”
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Calls for collaboration and shared responsibility were echoed by prominent African leaders including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, and Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations.
Renowned advocate for women and children Graça Machel described the current situation as “a moment of crisis” and emphasised the importance of enduring partnerships in Africa’s development journey.
“Mr Gates’ long-standing partnership with Africa reflects a deep understanding of these challenges and a respect for African leadership, ideas and innovation.
“We are counting on Mr Gates’ steadfast commitment to continue walking this path of transformation alongside us,” Machel said.
Okonjo-Iweala stressed that Africa’s health progress is a result of strong government leadership, resilient communities and partnerships that deliver results.
Gates is touring several African countries to, among other tasks, see first-hand the state of health and development priorities in the wake of foreign aid cuts.
