Bill Gates says nearly all of his wealth will go toward improving health and education across Africa over the next 20 years.
Speaking at the African Union in Addis Ababa, the Microsoft co-founder said his foundation will focus on maternal health, nutrition, and tackling infectious diseases.
Gates, 69, pledged to give away 99% of his fortune—now expected to reach $200bn—by 2045, when the foundation will shut down. “The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa,” he said, adding that “unleashing human potential” through better services can help every country on the continent prosper.
He also urged young African innovators to develop AI tools to improve healthcare, pointing to Rwanda’s use of AI-powered ultrasounds as an example.
The announcement comes as U.S. aid to Africa has been slashed under Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, raising concerns about long-term support for health programs like HIV/AIDS treatment.
Former Mozambican First Lady Graça Machel welcomed the pledge, calling it a much-needed move during a time of crisis.
Gates said he was inspired by Warren Buffett and added: “People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I’m determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them.”
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday (13 November) after a communications failure at air traffic control centres caused chaos at airports and triggered the longest nationwide shutdown since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
More than 30 people have been taken to hospital after a cargo ship collided with a passenger cruise docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday (13 November).
Europe will send a team of diplomats to Ukraine peace talks rather than a single envoy, EU leaders agreed on Friday at the end of a summit in Dublin.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh and three drones in its oil-rich Eastern Province on Sunday (15 November), as Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed separate attacks on a U.S. military facility in Bahrain.
Italy's data protection agency said on Saturday it had fined Meta Platforms €805 million ($887 million) after finding the company had accessed Android users' photographs and videos without obtaining their consent or informing them.
SpaceX's spacecraft on Saturday returned from a 22-hour voyage in orbit and descended for the first time into the grasp of giant mechanical arms at the Texas tower it was launched from a day earlier, a catch that is essential to the company's decade-long effort to develop a fully reusable rocket.
The Philippines and Australia signed a new defence cooperation arrangement in Manila on Sunday, aimed at accelerating joint military activities and strengthening security ties amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Southeast Asian leaders opened the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila Sunday, with Myanmar's crisis, security and economic uncertainty dominating talks. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for continued engagement with Myanmar and urged a stronger response to conflict and energy disruptions.
U.S. air travel is not expected to return to normal schedules until late on Sunday (15 November), the head of the FAA said, as the aviation system gradually recovers from a nationwide flight shutdown that officials blamed on routine maintenance gone awry.
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