Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, has emphasised the importance of partnerships in improving healthcare in Africa.
Gates disclosed this at Goalkeepers, a live event organised by the Gates Foundation in Lagos on Wednesday.
He noted that the foundation’s $100 billion investment over the past 25 years has helped develop partnerships in Nigeria and other African countries.
He explained that when the Foundation started in 2000, the basic guiding principle was that all lives have equal value, with a major concern about reducing infant mortality globally, especially in Africa.
“And so I looked and I said, okay. Are people taking this seriously, are they making the medicines cheaper, or are they tailoring the medicines to the particular needs of those areas, for example, investing in new malaria tools? And the answer was no.
“And so, that became the guiding light for the Gates Foundation. Over 70 per cent of what we’ve spent, the $100 billion we’ve spent in these last 25 years, went to global health, and throughout that 25 years, we’ve developed the partnerships, throughout Africa,” he said.
Gates highlighted the foundation’s partnerships with governments, organisations, and individuals in Africa, which have been instrumental in improving healthcare outcomes.
“Here in Nigeria, we’ve had amazing partners who understand the delivery and the way that we can work and help the government. The government, in the long run, has the responsibility for all of this work. We’re there to accelerate these systems,” he added.
He expressed optimism that the global child mortality rate could be reduced by 50 per cent from the current five million cases worldwide, citing progress made in the last 25 years.
Gates noted that some African countries have achieved over 95 per cent vaccine coverage, better than the United States, while others still struggle with low coverage rates.
Gates emphasised the need for continued progress, sharing best ideas, and collaboration to accelerate healthcare improvements in Africa.
He expressed confidence that with sustained efforts, the continent could achieve significant gains in reducing child mortality and improving healthcare outcomes.
