Bill Gates recounts how his parents' teachings about the value of giving, how all lives are equal, and especially his mom often quoting the biblical statement "to who much has been given, much is expected", inspired him.
He also refers to Nick Kristof's article in 1997 about the massive number of kids dying from diarrhoea, motivated him to learn more about child deaths and how to prevent them.
Like UNICEF's Jim Grant did during his lifetime, Gates acknowledges, "The progress in global health is not well known, and yet I consider it one of the greatest things that humanity has done".
He hits all the right buttons in terms of challenges ahead to confront - malaria, TB, neglected tropical diseases, and going beyond health, to the tremendous potential of agriculture in Africa.
He promises to help unleash the potential of Artificial Intelligence in health, education and agriculture.
He also promises to be a strong advocate for restoring the drastic cuts in foreign aid that is leading to a reversal of many gains in child survival and development.
"The goals here are pretty basic. They really speak to our 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.
"And by unleashing the human potential through health, through education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity. And that path is an exciting thing to be part of, creating that. So that's how I intend to focus all of my work for the rest of my life, because there's nothing more important".
I wish more ultra-rich tycoons - and more governments too - would emulate Gates' example.
Kul
Summary
In a speech at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on June 2, 2025, Bill Gates announced his commitment to donate the majority of his $200 billion fortune over the next 20 years, focusing primarily on improving health and education across Africa. He emphasized the importance of addressing challenges such as maternal and child mortality, infectious diseases, and malnutrition. Gates highlighted the transformative potential of innovations like AI-enabled ultrasound devices and stressed the need for strong partnerships with African governments to prioritize primary healthcare and education. He also noted that the Gates Foundation will conclude its operations by 2045 after deploying these resources.
Quotes
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"I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa."
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"By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity—and that path is an exciting thing to be part of."
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"Investing in primary healthcare has the greatest impact on health and wellbeing."
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"Africa largely skipped traditional banking and now you have a chance, as you build your next generation healthcare systems, to think about how AI is built into that."
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Here is a great oppor5unity for UNICEF to save on its budget. Do the math…..Gates will spend $10 Billion per year in Africa for the next 20 years. UNICEF spends about 40. % of its $8 Billion annual budget in Africa. So, let’s make a deal and withdraw UNICEF completely from Africa for the next 20 years, thus saving about $3.2 Billion every year which can be used in other regions, or to increase further its HQ and outlying posts. In twodecades unicef will be 100 years old , or may have completed its child related work and been integrated into some other UN (if it still exists) body. Facetiously yours.
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