Gates Foundation vows to support Nigeria’s youth

The Chairperson of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, has said that the Foundation is renewing its engagement with key partners on how to address some of the health challenges facing Nigeria while tapping into the incredible potential of the younger generation in Nigeria and Africa.

He noted that the Foundation is making a significant investment in routine immunisation, particularly polio, and is also working to eliminate the vaccine-derived type still circulating in the country.

In an interview with journalists in Abuja, Gates noted that the Foundation is discussing with the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, on how to ensure that primary health care receives the necessary support so that kids get vaccinated and mothers receive their antenatal care.

He said, “I will see the government, you know, Dr. Pate, he is somebody we have worked with a lot as the Minister of Health, and talking to him and his team about, given limited resources, how do we make sure that primary health care still gets what it needs so that kids get vaccinated, you know, mothers get their antenatal visits. There are a lot of challenges, and there are plans for Nigeria to fund the government more than it does today.

“The actual tax collection in Nigeria is actually pretty low, and so, you know, if citizens want the education and health services, as they develop confidence that these programmes can be very well run, and our Foundation is involved with a lot of the exemplars showing the way in terms of making sure the money is spent really well, you know, running a very efficient primary health care system where the employees are doing great work, the centres are where they should be, you know, you don’t have underloaded centres or overloaded centres. I think it is exciting that we’re driving the credibility of those health programs, and so that the citizens will feel like, yes, primary health care is among the priorities that should be well funded.”

When asked about his opinion on the Japa syndrome during the Nutrivision 2024, a Pan-African Youth Dialogue on Nutrition, Bill Gates noted that Nigeria has a lot of unrealized potential, adding that some Nigerians who migrate abroad to acquire education can come back and contribute to nation building.

He said, “A lot of people can go and gain experience and education elsewhere and then come back. Remittances to Nigeria are very helpful, so that’s your brethren who are abroad share in whatever success they have over there, and then a lot of them will come back. If you look at the success of countries like China and India, there was a period when it was almost all people going from China to the U.S. or India to the U.S. Now they’ve been very well trained. Some stay, but a lot go back.”

“So for Microsoft, we built a huge lab in India because our great Indian employees were going back to India, and we had to take advantage of that. It’s great people want to get involved in equity-type things around the country; it’s great to use your voice about how you think the government should be more efficient or do a better job. So the level of contribution, the opportunity to take this country, which today has potential that’s so unrealized, and the choices made in the next five years will determine the potential 50 years from now. We have a great team here who came back to help.”