One-time world richest man and Microsoft founder, Bill Gates has pledged to commit $7 billion to fight against hunger, poverty and gender inequality in Nigeria and other African countries.
The fund which will be expended through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be released over the next four years.
According to Bill Gates, the new fund is necessary because of the reduced amount of aid intervention flowing to Africa due to the Russian – Ukraine crisis.
Investors King learnt that the whooping sum of $7 billion is about 40 percent higher when compared with the previous four years.
In a post shared on the Twitter platform, Bill noted that Africa has been at the heart of his foundation.
“Today, we are announcing our commitment of $7 billion over the next 4 years for the development of more breakthrough innovations in health and agriculture across the continent,” the tweet read.
The American billionaire also added that Nigeria has made significant progress in reaching its health goals, including recently eradicating wild polio from the country.
It could be recalled that Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, became polio-free in August 2020.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) made the announcement in a televised programme.
While pledging his continued support, Bill noted that his foundation works with the Nigerian government and other partners to help address a range of health issues, including family planning, nutrition, and strengthening primary health care and public health.
“Our foundation will continue to support solutions in health, agriculture, and other critical areas—and the systems to get them out of the labs and to the people who need them,” the tweet revealed.
Meanwhile, Investors King understands that several international donors, particularly the western countries, have reduced their aid intervention to the African continent due to the prevailing situation in Ukraine.
The Russian – Ukraine crisis which started around February 2022 has created a new humanitarian situation that urgently needs to be addressed.