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Bill Gates to Spend Majority of $200 Billion Pledge on Africa’s Future

At the end of 20 years, the foundation will sunset its operations.

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ADDIS ABABA (June 2, 2025 :

In an address today in Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union, Gates Foundation Chair Bill Gates , announced that the majority of his $200 billion spending over the next 20 years will go to Africa with a focus on partnering with governments that prioritize the health and well-being of their people.

Gates therefore urged African leaders to seize the moment to accelerate progress in health and development through innovation and partnership, despite current headwinds.

“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.”

Addressing over 12,000 government officials, diplomats, health workers, development partners, and youth leaders in person and online, he underscored the critical role of African leadership and ingenuity in driving the continent’s health and economic future.

“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.

Following his address, Gates joined Paulin Basinga, the foundation’s Africa director, in a fireside chat to discuss Africa’s development agenda and the investments and partnerships needed to drive future progress.

From Addis Ababa, Gates will travel to Nigeria, where he will meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and engage with federal and state leaders to discuss Nigeria’s primary health care reforms.

Calls for collaboration and shared responsibility were delivered by prominent African leaders, including Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, and Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations.

Renowned advocate for women and children, Mrs. Graça Machel, described the current situation as “a moment of crisis” and emphasized 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,” she said.

“We are counting on Mr Gates’ steadfast commitment to continue walking this path of transformation alongside us.”

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emphasized that Africa’s health progress is a result of strong government leadership, resilient communities, and partnerships that deliver results.Gates called for prioritizing primary healthcare, emphasizing that “investing in primary healthcare has the greatest impact on health and wellbeing.”

“With primary healthcare, what we’ve learned is that helping the mother be healthy and have great nutrition before she gets pregnant, while she is pregnant, delivers the strongest results. Ensuring the child receives good nutrition in their first four years as well makes all the difference.”

Gates highlighted how countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia are showing what’s possible when bold leadership harnesses innovation.

From expanding frontline health services and using data to cut child mortality to deploying advanced tools against malaria and HIV, and safeguarding primary healthcare despite fiscal strain—these country-led efforts are driving scalable, homegrown progress.

Reflecting on more than two decades of engagement on the continent, Gates said, “I’ve always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very limited resources.”

He added, “The kind of fieldwork to get solutions out, even in the most rural areas, has been incredible.”Gates spoke about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, 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.”

He pointed to Rwanda as an early example of this promise, noting, “Rwanda is using AI to improve service delivery. E.g. AI-enabled ultrasound, to identify high-risk pregnancies earlier, helping women receive timely, potentially life-saving care.”

In Ethiopia and Nigeria this week, Gates will see first-hand the state of health and development priorities in the wake of foreign aid cuts, and he will affirm his and the foundation’s commitment to supporting Africa’s progress in health and development over the next 20 years.

“Our foundation has an increasing commitment to Africa,” Gates said. Our first African office was here in Ethiopia about 13 years ago. Now we have offices in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal.

That’s a great way for us to strengthen partnerships.”While in Ethiopia, Gates met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and heard how Ethiopia is sustaining the momentum on critical reforms, expanding essential services, and remaining resilient amid shifting global aid dynamics.

Gates also took part in a roundtable with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute on the country’s iodine-folic acid double-fortified salt initiative.

From Addis Ababa, Gates will travel to Nigeria, where he will meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and engage with federal and state leaders to discuss Nigeria’s primary health care reforms.

He will also participate in a Goalkeepers Nigeria event focused on Africa’s innovation future and meet with local scientists and partners shaping Nigeria’s national AI strategy and scaling up health solutions.

Gates’s trip follows the foundation’s historic announcement on May 8 that it would spend $200 billion over the next 20 years to advance progress on saving and improving lives and Gates’ commitment to giving away virtually all of his wealth to the foundation in that timeframe.

Over the next two decades, the foundation will work together with its partners to make as much progress as possible towards three primary goals: end preventable deaths of moms and babies; ensure the next generation grows up without having to suffer from deadly infectious diseases; and lift millions of people out of poverty, putting them on a path to prosperity.

At the end of 20 years, the foundation will sunset its operations. Over the last two decades, the Gates Foundation has worked alongside African partners to save lives, develop vaccines, and strengthen systems.

It has helped catalyze more than 100 innovations and contributed to saving more than 80 million lives through Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

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Police Summons Sowore, Arrives Force Headquarters with Travel Bag, Toothpaste, and Soap

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Omoyele Sowore has appeared at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters on Wednesday, carrying a travel bag filled with personal items, including soap, toothpaste, clothing, and books, in response to a police summons.

The appearance follows a letter dated August 5 from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit, inviting Sowore for questioning over a petition alleging forgery and criminal defamation.

A day prior, Sowore publicly pledged to honour the summons and urged fellow activists and supporters to accompany him. He arrived at the police headquarters at approximately 12:16 p.m., flanked by his legal representatives, A.K. Musa and Marshal Abubakar, and a group of supporters chanting protest songs critical of the government and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

The travel bag, visibly packed with essentials, was seen as a symbolic gesture indicating that Sowore was prepared for the possibility of detention.

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You will drink ‘shit water’ if you dig borehole in Lekki – Perm. Sec.

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The Lagos State Government has expressed serious concerns over the quality of water consumed by residents in the Lekki area, warning that those relying on boreholes could be drinking contaminated water.

At a recent stakeholders’ meeting, Mahmood Adegbite, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, sounded the alarm over the potential health risks posed by untreated wastewater seeping into underground water sources.

“Everyone digging boreholes within the Lekki axis is probably drinking what I will call ‘shit water,’” Adegbite stated bluntly.

He explained that the government has plans in place to address the issue by expanding wastewater treatment efforts in the area. “If we are able to treat all the wastewater within this axis, we should be able to eradicate any form of disease that might result from non-treatment,” he added.

Adegbite also touched on the ongoing problem of flooding in Lagos, acknowledging that despite significant investment in drainage infrastructure, more work remains.

“Yesterday, it rained heavily, which is unusual because this is supposed to be August break,” he said. “We started having it because of a lot of complex issues. Despite the fact that we have committed so much, we still need to do a lot more in that space.”

The remarks underscore the growing environmental and public health challenges in Lekki, one of Lagos’s rapidly developing urban corridors.

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JUST IN: Kano Commissioner For Transportation Resigns Over Drug Allegations

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The Kano State Commissioner for Transportation, Ibrahim Namadi has resigned from his position following an allegation of his involvement in the controversial bail of a suspected drug baron, Sulaiman Danwawu.

According to reports, his resignation is coming just hours after the governor of the state, Abba Yusuf received the report of an investigative committee set up to probe his involvement in the deal.

‎In a statement signed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, the Commissioner explained that his decision to resign was made in the overriding public interest and in the light of sensitive nature of the matter.‎

The Governor while accepting the resignation letter stressed the need for all political appointees to always reason with caution on sensitive matters and obtain permission from the higher authority anytime they are about to engage themselves on issues of public interest.‎‎

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