Gates, Dangote, Inuwa, Others Seek Improved Healthcare Investment, Home-Grown AI Solutions • Channels Television

Improved investments, partnerships, and the development of homegrown artificial intelligence solutions for Africa’s health sector were at the heart of discussions at the Gatekeepers event organised by the Gates Foundation. 

At the gathering, which attracted the crème de la crème in the country and beyond, including the Chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates; Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Gombe State governor, Inuwa Yahaya; Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others, they agreed that healthcare on the continent can be better with improved funding and the development of local solutions, among other strategies. 

During a panel discussion, Gates recalled the Gates Foundation’s investment in healthcare in Africa, particularly Nigeria. According to the Microsoft Co-Founder, the foundation has invested about $100bn in healthcare in the country over the past 25 years, hinging it on the Gates Foundation’s guiding principle that all lives have equal value. 

$100bn Spent In 25 Years

“Over 70 per cent of what we’ve spent, the $100 billion we’ve spent in these last 25 years, went to global health, and throughout that 25 years, we’ve developed the partnerships, throughout Africa,” he said at the event anchored by celebrity host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu in the Victoria Island area of Lagos State on Wednesday.

Gates highlighted the importance of partnership in delivering quality healthcare, but believes governments across the board play critical roles in making the health sector thrive. 

“Here in Nigeria, we’ve had amazing partners who understand the delivery and the way that we can work and help the government. The government, in the long run, has the responsibility for all of this work. We’re there to accelerate these systems,” he said. 

He re-echoed the importance of good health, linking improved healthcare to a better economy. Gates also believes that the global child mortality rate can be reduced in Africa. 

He expressed optimism that the global child mortality rate can be reduced by 50 per cent from the current five million cases worldwide.

“These next 20 years, you know, the countries in Africa will get to that status. So helping them accelerate that, helping them understand what the unique local challenges are, which things we need to make simpler, and bring the price down. That’s done, as a partnership, and the last 25 years went way better than I expected; that is, childhood death, globally and in Africa, was cut in more than half,” he said.

He also said artificial intelligence can help Africa fast-track its health goals. 

How Gombe Improved Healthcare – Inuwa Yahaya

Also speaking at the event, Governor Yahaya said his administration has been able to improve the health budget and track the attendance of health workers in the state. 

“Today, immunisation coverage has improved to around 50 percent, and access to primary healthcare has risen to between 40 and 45 percent. In addition, we now have the required infrastructure across the health sector,” Governor Yahaya said. 

According to the governor, the deployment of technology — the use of biometrics —helped in improving service delivery for health workers. 

“The resultant effect is not just in increased attendance, but also in improved maternal and child healthcare, as well as reduced mortality rates,” he said.

“The operations of the primary health centres have also improved — absenteeism has significantly declined, and the staff are well motivated, performing even beyond our expectations.” 

Nigeria Can Stop Medical Tourism – Dangote

For Dangote, the partnership with the Gates Foundation was instrumental in the eradication of polio, and he said that with more investments, Nigeria can become a leading drug manufacturing hub. 

Dangote stressed the need for Nigerians to be able to access quality healthcare and added that partnership with the Gates Foundation can make that possible. 

“What we need to do is to make sure we stop this health tourism, and we should now get to start producing our own drugs,” Dangote said. “We should now make sure that when we are sick, we don’t have to travel abroad, all of us, but we need to do a partnership with Bill (Gates).”

He said his company has invested massively in local production, which has yielded results in the country exporting cement more than any other African nation.

Support For Local Startups, Localisation of AI

Others who spoke at the gathering included the Founder/CEO of Mamamoni, Nkem Okocha, who called for more support for local startups.

Another panelist and the CEO of Data Scientists Network (DSNai), Bayo Adekanmbi, said artificial intelligence must be localised for Africans to reap improved dividends.

For the Founder and CEO of Healthtracka, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, the dream is to build an Africa where nobody dies of an illness that can be treated when caught early.

Wawira Njiru of Food for Education said scaling businesses in Africa is taxing, but says the drive to leave a better continent is a greater drive. 

M.I., Kaffy, Waje, Urban Choir Thrill Audience

Rapper M.I. Abaga, Kafayat Shafau, better known as Kaffy, Aituaje Iruobe, popularly known as Waje, and the Loud Urban Choir spiced up the event. 

The Goalkeepers event brought together global leaders, policymakers, and changemakers to assess the progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).