What I’ve Come To Do in Nigeria This June - Bill Gates

Bill Gates is in town with his friend, Aliko Dangote, and even though people have been seeing pictures and videos of Bill around, many people haven't been sure why he's in Nigeria right now. Well, during a new interview, Bill Gates finally explains why he has come into town this June, and what he plans to do while he's here. Here's what Bill Gates said.

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Bill Gates hasn't been in town since 2018. Speaking to This Day about why he is in the country now, Bill Gates explained saying:

BILL GATES: I’m very excited to be back in Nigeria and visiting Niger for the first time. I’m coming to listen and learn more about the innovations that West Africans are developing and how their ingenuity is helping to address pressing challenges.

As for Nigeria: It is an incredibly important, vibrant place with a rapidly growing population of young people. They are Nigeria’s most valuable resource, with the potential to accomplish great things if they have the right conditions to do so.

For more than two decades, our foundation has supported partners working to make sure that every Nigerian has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life. I am looking forward to meeting with some of them on this trip—people who are doing inspiring work in primary health care, maternal and newborn health, and agriculture. I’ll be speaking to young innovators about the role innovation can play in creating a better, more equitable future for all Nigerians. And as I usually do when I visit countries we work in, I’ll be meeting with leaders to learn about their plans and encourage them to make decisions to advance health and opportunity for their people.

I’ve learned a lot from our Nigerian partners over the years, about where there are challenges and what’s possible for the future. We’ve seen progress in some important areas. For instance, just five years ago, wild poliovirus was a major health concern. In 2020, the country was certified free of wild poliovirus. The fight against polio isn’t over, but Nigeria has shown that it’s winnable.

And cities like Lagos are digitally connected through platforms that didn’t exist when I was here last. The progress in digital financial tools—which can change people’s lives by making it easier to save, spend, and borrow money—has been impressive.

But I’d echo what we’ve heard young people here say, which is that there is still a lot of work to be done. Millions of children continue to face chronic malnutrition, immunization rates are low, and the primary healthcare system doesn’t work nearly as well as it should in a country with an economy as big as Nigeria’s. Innovations aren’t reaching everyone, resulting in extreme inequities for women and people living in remote areas.

Where there’s been progress, it’s often because the government, private sector, and civil society committed to solve a problem together and made the necessary investments. If they make greater commitments to improve the health system, then greater progress is absolutely possible—and our foundation will do all we can to support this work.

It's good to see Bill Gates continuing to take positive interest in Nigeria's development. Hopefully this new government and dispensation brings overall 100% good to Nigerians and does us better than the last administration did. What do you think about Bill Gates' visit, and what he said? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post.

That's All.

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