Bill Gates, chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has raised concerns over Nigeria’s low investment in healthcare, warning that the current level of government spending is insufficient to address the country’s persistent health crises.
Speaking during a media roundtable on Wednesday, Gates emphasized that without significantly increasing healthcare funding, Nigeria will continue to struggle with high maternal and child mortality rates.
He revealed that he had discussed the issue directly with President Bola Tinubu, urging the Nigerian government to boost its health budget.
Read Also: Bill Gates to give away 99% of wealth, plans to shutdown foundation
“Nigeria’s spending on healthcare is very, very small,” Gates said.
“You can’t expect maternal mortality to decline if most women are delivering at home where complications can’t be handled. Countries like India are investing in delivery centers capable of performing C-sections—that requires money.”
While acknowledging the financial constraints and competing priorities the government faces, Gates stressed that improving health outcomes must be treated as a top priority.
In February, Nigeria’s National Assembly increased the health sector allocation by ₦300 billion in the 2025 budget, bringing the total to ₦2.48 trillion—just 5.18% of the national appropriation.
When asked if the Gates Foundation would fill the funding gap left by reduced U.S. government support for global health, Gates was clear: “No organization can replace the scale of U.S. contributions.”
He expressed frustration over the U.S. government’s declining investment in global health, noting its ripple effects worldwide.
“I’m very upset about it. We’ll see more HIV, malaria, and maternal deaths. That money was making a difference, and there’s no alternative of equal scale,” he said.
Gates also noted that European funding has dropped sharply, with cuts of about 40% from countries like Germany and the UK, driven more by domestic economic pressures than ideological shifts.
Despite the funding challenges, Gates reaffirmed his personal commitment to global health. He recently announced plans to donate nearly all of his wealth—about \$200 billion—over the next two decades, with the majority going to Africa.
