Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has announced that the vast majority of his wealth will be used to improve health and education services across Africa over the next two decades.
The 69-year-old said that "by unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity".
Speaking in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Gates also called on young African innovators to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be developed to strengthen healthcare on the continent.
Last month, Gates revealed his intention to donate 99 percent of his estimated $200 billion fortune by 2045, at which point his foundation is expected to conclude its operations.
“I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will go towards helping you tackle challenges here in Africa,” he said in an address at the African Union headquarters.
In recent years, the US government has reduced aid to Africa, including funding for HIV/Aids treatment programmes, as part of President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy. This has raised serious concerns about the future of healthcare provision across the continent.
Gates said his foundation, which has long operated in Africa, would focus its efforts on strengthening primary healthcare systems.
“What we’ve learned is that helping mothers to be healthy and well-nourished before and during pregnancy yields the strongest results,” he said.
“Ensuring that children receive proper nutrition in their first four years also makes a world of difference.”
Addressing Africa’s next generation of innovators, the billionaire tech pioneer noted how mobile phones had transformed banking on the continent, and suggested that AI could play a similar role in revolutionising healthcare.
“Africa largely bypassed traditional banking. Now, as you build your next-generation healthcare systems, you have a unique opportunity to embed AI from the start,” he said.
He cited Rwanda as a positive example, where AI-powered ultrasound technology is already being used to detect high-risk pregnancies.
The Gates Foundation has outlined three core priorities: ending preventable deaths among mothers and children, eliminating deadly infectious diseases for future generations, and lifting millions of people out of poverty.
“At the end of 20 years, the foundation will sunset its operations,” it confirmed in a statement.
Gates has previously stated that he plans to accelerate the pace of his giving. “People will say many things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ won’t be one of them,” he wrote in a blog post.
Despite donating 99 percent of his wealth, Gates could still remain a billionaire, according to Bloomberg, which ranks him among the world's five richest individuals.
Alongside Paul Allen, Gates founded Microsoft in 1975, with the company rapidly becoming a dominant force in software and technology. He stepped down as CEO in 2000 and resigned as chairman in 2014.
Gates has said that he was inspired to give away his fortune by investor Warren Buffett and other philanthropists.
