Bill Gates Pledges Majority of $200 Billion Fortune to Health and Education in Africa
Bill Gates has committed to donating most of his $200 billion fortune to improve health and education services across Africa, he announced during a speech in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking at the event on Monday, the 69-year-old philanthropist emphasized his vision of unlocking human potential across the continent through better healthcare and education. “Every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity,” Gates said.
He outlined that this pledge aligns with his long-term plan to give away his fortune within the next two decades through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years,” he said. “I’ve been extremely fortunate. My wealth has reached a very high level, and now, by accelerating my giving, the Gates Foundation will be responsible for distributing those resources.”
Gates highlighted the Foundation’s core goals: ensuring maternal health during childbirth, reducing child mortality, ending malnutrition, and dramatically lowering the burden of infectious diseases across the continent. “These goals reflect our fundamental values,” he added. “No mother should die giving birth. Children should live beyond age five. No child should go hungry. And we can eliminate many of the diseases that continue to devastate communities.”
Gates, a strong proponent of innovation, also spoke about the potential of artificial intelligence to transform sectors such as health, education, and agriculture. “As a technologist at heart, I love backing scientists with bold ideas. AI is the latest breakthrough, and while it brings challenges, its promise is enormous. If applied responsibly, it will be transformative,” he said.
Without directly naming Donald Trump, Gates criticized recent U.S. cuts to foreign aid programs under the former president’s administration. “We’re facing a serious crisis in the international aid system,” he noted. “Some of these cuts have been so abrupt that clinical trials are being disrupted, and life-saving medicines are stuck in warehouses instead of reaching those in need. These decisions, I believe, are a grave mistake.”
Gates’s remarks come just weeks after he openly condemned budget reductions to USAID, orchestrated by the short-lived “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge), a Trump-era initiative led briefly by Elon Musk. Gates warned that the funding cuts had led to the expiration of essential food and medical supplies in aid depots, risking the spread of preventable diseases.
“The image of the world’s richest man contributing to the deaths of the world’s poorest children is deeply disturbing,” Gates said in an interview with the Financial Times, reiterating his long-standing criticisms of Musk.
In a separate statement, the Gates Foundation detailed the focus of this 20-year philanthropic effort. Its three main objectives are: to end preventable maternal and child deaths, to eradicate deadly infectious diseases for future generations, and to lift millions out of poverty.
The Foundation also confirmed it will cease operations after 20 years, in line with Gates’s commitment to distribute his wealth within that timeframe.
