In that time, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had invested more than $9bn in Africa, and would invest $5bn in the next five years. “We must clear away the obstacles that are standing in young people’s way so they can seize all of their potential”, he said.
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The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist delivered on Sunday the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture ahead of Mandela Day in South Africa and the 21st International AIDS Conference starting Monday. South Africa now says half of its infected population of 6.8 million people is being treated.
“Let’s do everything within our power right now to help build the future Nelson Mandela dreamed of”.
“Nelson Mandela said poverty is not natural, it is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings”.
“If they are not educated well, their minds will lie dormant”.
“At the post-secondary level, we not only need to broaden access – we also have to ensure that governments are investing in high-quality public universities to launch the next generation of scientists, entrepreneurs, educators, and government leaders”, Gates said. Life on this continent will improve faster than it ever has.
Gates’s speech on the 14th edition of the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture was centred around the theme of ‘Living Together’, one which Gates thought of as extremely appropriate since that is what Mandela had tried to achieve in his lifetime and continues to inspire people to do even afterwards.
He said health and nutrition were a top priority because “when people aren’t healthy, they can’t turn their attention to other priorities”.
He praised the high quality of South Africa’a higher education facilities and said through education Africa’s youth would have economic opportunities.
He spoke about a wide range of issues including health, education, energy and economic growth.
He said Africa’s young “believe in themselves, and they believe in their countries and the future of the continent”.
“Our duty is to invest in young people, to put in place the basic building blocks so that they can build the future”.
The foundation has already invested $9-billion on the continent over the last 15 years.
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“And our duty is to do it now’ because the innovations of tomorrow depend on the opportunities available to children today”.
