Gates reaffirms support for health innovations in Nigeria, others amid fund cut
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has pledged the continuous support of his Gates Foundation to improve health innovations in Africa despite dwindling foreign aid to the continent. He stated this during a roundtable discussion with a group of journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, acknowledging the global crisis is challenging the progress of healthcare. “We […]
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Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has pledged the continuous support of his Gates Foundation to improve health innovations in Africa despite dwindling foreign aid to the continent.
He stated this during a roundtable discussion with a group of journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, acknowledging the global crisis is challenging the progress of healthcare.
“We understand that the world is facing numerous challenges, but we believe that investing in health innovations is crucial for creating a better future for all,” he said.
The billionaire expressed displeasure over the funding cuts occassioned by the executive order of the US President, Donald Trump, to ban foreign aid through the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID).
“I’m very upset about the funding cut and we’ll have more HIV deaths, more malaria deaths, more maternal deaths. There’s just no denying that that money was being well spent,” he said.
He , however, stressed that the budgetary allocation of Nigeria to health spending is insufficient to address its healthcare challenges, resulting in high maternal mortality, child deaths, and disease outbreaks.
“When you look at the numbers, the amount Nigeria spends on healthcare is very, very small. It is not just about percentages; in absolute terms, Nigeria’s budget for health is insufficient to tackle the crises it faces,” he said.
He highlighted increase in public funding, better governance, and sustained political commitment as the requirement to tackle healthcare challenges.
He emphasised that collaborative efforts by both donors and government would help to build a substantial health investments
“We can assist as partners, but the foundation of a functioning health system has to be built and maintained by the government,” he said.
He advised countries to build internal resilience, saying recurrent dependence on donor support and international partnerships for critical health programmes is unsustainable.
“In the long run, you can’t depend on aid to fund your essential health systems. Countries need to build resilience internally,” he stated.
Gates further explained that his foundation remained committed to supporting Nigeria in areas such as immunisation, polio eradication, nutrition, maternal health, and agricultural development.
He, however, stressed that such support is meant to complement, not replace domestic action.
“Nigeria has the potential to lead Africa in health innovation and service delivery. But you have to make the investments now. The dividends will come later, but the seeds must be planted today,” he said.
Gates had met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos on Tuesday ahead of the foundation’s Goalkeeper event in the state.
Majority of Gates’ $200bn wealth to benefit Africa
Earlier in the week while addressing a gathering at Nelson Mandela Hall of African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Gates Foundation Chair had announced that the majority of his $200 billion spend over the next 20 years would go to Africa with a focus on partnering with governments that prioritize 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,” he asserted.
Addressing over 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.
“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,” he said.
Gates called for prioritising primary healthcare, emphasising 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,” he noted.
Following his address, Gates joined Dr. 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.
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, made calls for collaboration and shared responsibility.
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.
She described Gates’ long-standing partnership with Africa as a reflection of 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,” she added.
Okonjo-Iweala emphasized that Africa’s health progress is a result of strong government leadership, resilient communities, and partnerships that deliver results.
Gates’ speech 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, Gates acknowledged that these country-led efforts are driving scalable, homegrown progress.
“I’ve always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very limited resources,” Gates said, reflecting on more than two decades of engagement on the continent. “The kind of field work to get solutions out, even in the most rural areas, has been incredible.”
He also 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.”
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 give 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.