US technology billionaire Bill Gates has announced that he will donate the majority of his $200 billion fortune to improving health and education across Africa. Speaking at an event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Microsoft co-founder outlined his vision for the continent, stating that every African nation should be “on a path to prosperity”. His philanthropic work, channelled through the Gates Foundation, will focus on fundamental goals such as improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, eradicating infectious diseases, and ensuring children receive proper nutrition.
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Gates, aged 69, explained that his personal wealth would be given away over the next two decades. He emphasised the importance of accelerating this giving to make the greatest possible impact, adding: “Mothers should survive delivery. Babies should survive past their fifth birthday – kids should be well nourished.” The foundation’s long-term strategy also aims to reduce the burden of infectious disease to minimal levels within 20 years, laying a foundation for widespread wellbeing and opportunity.
In addition to healthcare and education, Gates highlighted the transformative role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in improving lives across the continent. “I love backing scientists with great new ideas,” he said. “Artificial intelligence brings enormous promise. Though it comes with challenges, its potential to improve health, education, and agriculture is vast.” His optimism about AI underlines the foundation’s belief in innovation as a tool for development.
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Without naming specific individuals, Gates criticised recent cuts to foreign aid budgets, calling them “a huge mistake” that have disrupted medical trials and left lifesaving medicines stuck in warehouses. His comments follow earlier condemnation of the Trump administration’s budget reductions to USAID, including a direct critique of Elon Musk, who briefly oversaw the “department of government efficiency.” The Gates Foundation confirmed it will pursue three core goals before closing its operations in 20 years: ending preventable deaths among mothers and babies, combating infectious diseases, and lifting millions out of poverty.
