Bill Gates says he'll donate 99 percent of his wealth to Africa

Microsoft co-founder and tech billionaire Bill Gates has pledged to donate a significant chunk of his personal wealth to African countries. As reported by the BBC, Gates's funding will be spent on improving health and education infrastructure in Africa over the next twenty years.

The Gates Foundation has played an active role in improving public health and education in Africa over the past decades. Bill Gates aims to double down on that effort by donating most of his fortune to Africa. Last month, he also said that 99% of his fortune, which could exceed $200 billion, will go to African countries by 2045.

Speaking at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Gates said, "By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity."

"I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa,"

The tech billionaire also told young African innovators to start relying on AI to improve health and education in their countries and use the technology to benefit the entire continent. He introduced Rwanda as a successful example of using AI in healthcare to identify high-risk pregnancies.

"Africa largely skipped traditional banking and now you have a chance, as you build your next generation healthcare systems, to think about how AI is built into that," Gates added.

By donating 99 percent of his personal fortune by 2045, Bill Gates can still maintain his position as one of the richest people on earth. According to Bloomberg, Gates's current net worth is around $175 billion.

Gates's decision to donate 99 percent of his wealth to Africa came after the US administration cut USAID funding to African countries following the DOGE investigations. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Bill Gates called out Elon Musk for cutting the USAID budget, saying Musk has a role in the death of the poorest children on earth.