Bill Gates has announced plans to give away nearly his entire personal wealth by 2045, with approximately $200 million expected to go toward supporting the world’s poorest people through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Microsoft co-founder said the foundation will spend almost all his personal fortune and officially close on December 31, 2045.
“People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he ‘died rich’ will not be one of them”, Gates stated on his website.
“There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people.
Gates emphasized the urgency of addressing preventable deaths, ending diseases like Polio, Malaria, and Measles, and reducing global poverty — especially as major donor governments, including the U.S, and France, reduce foreign aid and budgets.
He acknowledged that, while the foundation has sufficient resources, Its impact depends on confirmed support from global governments.
He cited polio eradication as an example of an initiative that would be impossible to achieve without the U.S funding.
Founded in 2000 with his then wife, Melinda French Gates, the foundation has already disbursed $100 billion funding organizations such as Gavi and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria by 2026, Its annual spending is expected reach $9 billion.
Although the foundation has faced criticism for its influence and lack of accountability especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates reaffirmed his commitment to global health efforts.
He encouraged other wealthy individuals to increase their philanthropic efforts.
“I hope others can consider how much they can accelerate progress for the world’s poorest by increasing the pace and scale of their giving. It’s one of the most impactful ways to give back to society”.
-9News Nigeria.
