In a monumental move that could reshape the future of millions across the African continent, U.S. tech mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates has pledged the majority of his estimated $200 billion fortune to improving health and education services in Africa.
Speaking at a major event in Addis Ababa on Monday, the 69-year-old Microsoft co-founder and co-chair of the Gates Foundation announced an ambitious, two-decade commitment to “unleashing the human potential through health, through education.”
“Every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity,” Gates told attendees. “I recently committed that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. And so you can see, you know, I’m extremely lucky. My wealth has gotten to a very high level here. And now, by accelerating my giving, I will have the Gates Foundation take all of those resources.”
Gates invests billions in health, others
The pledge, Gates said, is deeply rooted in fundamental human values. “mothers should survive delivery. Babies should survive past their fifth birthday, kids should be well nourished. Many of these infectious diseases should go away, and the rest within 20 years should be at a very low level,” he said.
The Gates Foundation, which has already invested billions in global health, education, and agricultural development, confirmed in a statement that it will “sunset its operations” after 20 years. Over that time, it plans to channel funds toward three major objectives: ending preventable deaths of mothers and newborns, eradicating deadly infectious diseases, and lifting millions out of poverty through access to education and better health infrastructure.
He also highlighted the transformative role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), in addressing these global challenges. “I am a technologist at heart. I love backing scientists with great new ideas,” he said. “The latest technology we’re all hearing about is artificial intelligence. It’s an incredible opportunity. It brings challenges with it, but as we drive it forward, it will make a huge difference in health, education, and agriculture.”
His remarks were not without critique of global leadership, particularly concerning recent shifts in U.S. foreign aid. Without explicitly naming President Donald Trump, Gates condemned the deep budget cuts to international aid programs under Trump’s administration.
“We’re sitting here at a time of a significant crisis,” he said. “Some of those cuts are being made so abruptly that there are complete interruptions in trials, or medicines are still sitting in warehouses and are not available. These cuts are something that I think is a huge mistake.”
