UPDATED: Tinubu holds closed-door meeting with Bill Gates, Dangote in Aso Villa

 

On Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu met with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Foundation.

At the meeting, he pledged to give priority attention to the health and safety of Nigerians, noting that for any country to develop, the health of its people, particularly the workforce, is critical.

While saluting the courage and commitment of Bill Gates in working for humanity, he commended the partnership with Aliko Dangote Foundation.

The President said his administration would do all that is required to make their work in Nigeria and Africa successful, particularly in the area of eradicating polio, measles, malaria and other diseases from the continent.

But he warned about the budgetary constraints and other issues around funding.

The President praised Bill Gates’ efforts in the area of Climate Change and in eradicating polio and malaria from Africa.

He, however, told the philanthropist that the West needed to hear more from him with respect to the plight of the developing countries, saying “you have all it takes to help developing nations more.”

Speaking in an interview later, Dangote congratulated President Tinubu on his election and successful assumption of office.

He said the visit to the Villa was to brief the President on the activities of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Aliko Dangote Foundation, highlighting their commitment to improving the health sector in Nigeria.

The business magnate expressed the Foundations’ willingness to cooperate further with the government in achieving its goals.

He seized the opportunity to commend the President for the removal of fuel subsidy, expressing confidence that more state funds would be allocated to education, health, infrastructure, and other critical areas of the economy.

Mr. Gates is on a visit to Niger Republic and Nigeria to meet with leaders and partners tackling health and development challenges.

A media advisory issued by the Foundation on Monday noted that the visit is part of the Gates Foundation’s commitment to work closely with communities and leaders to support innovation that can help accelerate progress and improve lives across Africa.

Gates and other foundation leaders are visiting to learn from partners helping to address polio, anemia, and other health threats; scientists applying research to develop agricultural innovations that will help with food security and climate adaptation; innovators using technology to improve access to financial services; and others working to improve lives in Niger and Nigeria and throughout the continent.

They are also scheduled to meet with national and regional leaders to encourage them to make investments and advance policies that promote innovation and provide equitable opportunity, despite challenging economic conditions.

Gates will also participate in a conversation with students and young leaders to gather insights and share

perspectives on how science and innovation can accelerate positive change and contribute to a brighter outlook for Africa.