Bill Gates to Spend Majority of $200bn Fortune on African Health and Education Over Next 20 Years

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has announced plans to dedicate most of his $200 billion (£150 billion) fortune to improving health and education services in Africa over the coming two decades.

Speaking at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the 69-year-old philanthropist emphasised the importance of “unleashing human potential through health and education” to set every African country on a path toward prosperity.

“I recently committed 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,” Gates said during his address.

Gates, who revealed last month that he intends to give away 99% of his fortune by 2045—coinciding with the planned closure of his foundation—called on Africa’s young innovators to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to transform healthcare on the continent.

“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,” he said, citing Rwanda’s use of AI-enabled ultrasound technology to identify high-risk pregnancies as a pioneering example.

Mozambique’s former First Lady, Graça Machel, welcomed Gates’s announcement, calling it timely “in a moment of crisis” and expressing hope that his commitment would continue to support Africa’s transformation.

The Gates Foundation, which has a longstanding presence in Africa, plans to focus its efforts on improving primary healthcare, with particular attention to maternal health and child nutrition.

“What we’ve learned is that helping the mother be healthy and have great nutrition before she gets pregnant, while she is pregnant, delivers the strongest results,” Gates said. “Ensuring the child receives good nutrition in their first four years as well makes all the difference.”

This commitment comes amid recent cuts in US aid to Africa, including programs targeting HIV/AIDS treatment, under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy—a move that has raised concerns about the future of healthcare across the continent.

The foundation’s priorities include ending preventable deaths of mothers and babies, eliminating deadly infectious diseases among the next generation, and lifting millions out of poverty.

Gates acknowledged that even after giving away 99% of his fortune, he would remain a billionaire, but stressed his determination to avoid dying wealthy.

“People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” he wrote in a recent blog post.

Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, transforming it into a global software and technology giant. Over the years, he has stepped back from the company, resigning as CEO in 2000 and as chairman in 2014.

Inspired by philanthropists like Warren Buffett, Gates has made large-scale giving a central focus of his life.

However, some critics argue that his foundation uses charitable status to avoid taxes and wields disproportionate influence over global health policies.