Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, believes Nigerian leaders must make more financial commitments to improving healthcare and education.
On Wednesday, Gates addressed at the Lagos Youth Innovation Forum.
The event titled ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’ was co-hosted by the Lagos Business School and Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), in collaboration with Africa.com and Channels Television.
Because of the enormous potential of new technology, Gates believes there will be possibilities for adolescents to make a difference in the world.
He believes that talented young people can make the world a better place.
“Even though Nigerians are still facing many of the challenges I talked about five years ago, and you’re having to contend with economic instability and security threats, I have a lot of faith that your generation will persevere and improve lives throughout Nigeria and beyond,” Gates said.
“Nigeria has one of the biggest youth populations in the world, and it’s growing fast. That represents a lot of potential skills and passion to solve big problems.”
Gates stated that in order for youngsters to shine, they must be supported, “beginning with a great education.”
“In this capacity, Nigeria has a strong foundation, with some of the best educational and research institutions across the continent. In Africa, Nigeria is a hub for venture capital and financial technology,” he said.
“There are also many exciting innovations in the global pipeline that are going to improve lives here in Nigeria.
“They’re going to prevent infectious diseases, provide life-saving interventions for mothers and babies, make food more nutritious, and give women more convenient contraception options.
“Down the road, artificial intelligence will be applied in ways that will bring quality healthcare and education to more people,” Bill Gates said.
