Gates to Support African Development by Donating 99% of $200B Fortune

On 2 June 2025, Gates Foundation Founder and Chair, Bill Gates, paid a courtesy visit to newly elected African Union Commission (AUC) Chair, Ali Youssouf. The aim of the meeting was to explore the strengthening of the collaboration between the Gates Foundation and the African Union. Exchanges focused on #HealthSovereignty, through the localization of the manufacturing of medicine and vaccine in Africa, which turned out as a highly acute issue during the #COVID19 pandemic.

Chair Youssouf warmly welcomed the initiative of Gates as it occurs in a context of aid cuts from certain major players. On his part, Gates reiterated the necessity for fair trade and global solidarity. In addition to traditional diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, many African countries have also to deal with new health risks, such as the outbursts of the Ebola and Monkeypox viruses.

In a speech in Addis Ababa, Bill Gates reaffirmed his resolve to donate most of his USD 200 billion to Africa. The disbursement will take place gradually over two decades, with the funds aimed at giving a boost to key development efforts in Africa. Even with 1% left, Gates will remain a billionaire and he clarified that his children will be left with a sufficient amount to carve out a decent living. According to the roadmap, the Gates Foundation will also wind down and cease to exist by 2045.

In particular, Gates identified health, education and poverty alleviation as key areas of endeavor for the Gates Foundation. In addition, Gates urges Africans to leverage #AI to help solve current issues. He exemplified his statement by referring to Rwanda which has successfully harnessed AI to enhance medical diagnostic and improve healthcare.