Bill Gates Pledges 5% of His Wealth to Africa's Health and Agriculture

"American billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates has pledged to use 5.4% of his net worth to finance Africa's health and agriculture sectors," reports Quartz, "which he believes anchor the continent's progress."Since landing in Nairobi on Nov.15, Gates has visited both rural and urban parts of the country, including primary healthcare centers, medical and agricultural research institutes, and smallholder farms to understand "what approaches are making an impact, and what obstacles remain." His tour culminated in a town hall meeting with hundreds of students at the University of Nairobi on Nov. 17 where he announced $7 billion funding to help Africa fight diseases and boost agricultural capacity in the next four years. "The big global challenges we face are persistent. But we have to remember, so are the people solving them," said Gates. He added that his foundation will keep finding solutions to improving the two sectors "and the systems to get them out of the labs and to the people who need them."

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