Bill Gates urges wealthier governments to enhance support for African nations
Date
9/17/2024 5:38:42 AM
(MENAFN) Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, has called for wealthier governments to enhance their support for African nations, which he believes are receiving less aid as more funds are diverted to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and support refugees globally. Gates expressed concern that crucial areas such as debt relief, vaccinations, and efforts to combat malnutrition in Africa are suffering from decreased financial assistance. In an interview with a news outlet, Gates highlighted that the aid directed to Ukraine represents a substantial portion of global funds, which he argues should be more evenly distributed to address pressing needs in Africa.
Gates' comments were made in conjunction with the release of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's annual Goalkeeper’s report, published on Tuesday. This report evaluates the progress of countries towards the development goals they committed to in 2015 and assesses achievements related to a subset of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that align with the foundation's priorities. As one of the leading global health funders, the foundation’s focus this year is on child malnutrition, an issue they predict will worsen due to climate change. The report advocates for increased use of fortified foods, high-quality prenatal vitamins, and better access to safer dairy products as strategies to combat malnutrition.
Habtamu Fekadu, the managing director for nutrition at Save the Children, echoed concerns about the slow progress in reducing child malnutrition. He emphasized the need for widespread prevention efforts and identified exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life as one of the most cost-effective interventions. Fekadu’s remarks highlight a broader need for effective, scalable strategies to address malnutrition and its impact on child development.
Despite the challenges and the observed stagnation in progress towards development goals, Gates remains optimistic. He believes that global health can still make significant strides even amidst competing priorities and budget constraints faced by governments. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in April indicated that while overall development assistance from wealthy countries had increased each year since 2019, excluding funds for refugees, COVID-19, and Ukraine, the proportion of aid directed to African countries fell to a 20-year low of approximately 25 percent in 2022.
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