Healthcare In Africa – Dangote & Gates to the Rescue

Gallup’s World Happiness Report of 2017 scored most African countries poorly, with three of them ranking as the unhappiest countries in the world. According to the report Burundi, Tanzania and Central African Republic are deeply unhappy because of poor living conditions. Some of the main reasons for this are factors like the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, poor health care systems and the increase of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Without urgent financial backing bolstering the health sector throughout Africa, this is not likely to change.

Private Investment is Critical

According to the World Health Organisation, African countries like Madagascar, Niger and the DRC are spending very little on health care. Even with additional funding from international organisations like the Red Cross and UNICEF, there is simply not enough support for African health, and the significant shortfall can only be met in private sector investments.

Philanthropists are Reaching Deep

Fortunately some of the world’s most prominent philanthropists are getting together with the aim of changing the future of Africans when it comes to health care. Aliko Dangote, known as the richest person in Africa, and Bill Gates, the second-richest person in the world, partnered up to start affecting massive positive change to Africa’s health sector. Through Dangote Foundation, the Nigerian cement magnate has already donated over US$1 million towards Nigerian hospitals and mobile clinics around Côte d’Ivoire. Technology mogul Gates is well known around the world for his benevolence and for the billions donated to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases in Africa.

The Dangote/Gates Partnership

In 2016 Dangote and Gates announced that they formed an alliance and pledged US$100 million to the fight against malnutrition in Nigeria. They also signed an agreement to collaborate on immunisation programmes in Africa and are inspiring other philanthropists to join the initiative and contribute to healthcare in Africa. Their hope is that healthcare in Africa can be drastically improved through business leaders partnering with the government, local communities, volunteers and NGOs.