Pretoria: Bill Gates pledged to invest $5 billion over the next five years for Africa’s development as he called on leaders in the continent to do everything in their power to realise global peace icon Nelson Mandela’s dream of a bright future for the youth. The billionaire philanthropist’s pledge of $5 billion is in addition to the $9 billion that he has already invested in Africa.
Gates told “The theme of this year’s Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is ‘living together’. This is fitting, because in many ways, ‘living together’ was also the theme of Nelson Mandela’s life.” Gates made the pledge while was delivering the 2016 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the University of Pretoria on the eve of the global peace icon’s birthday.
“Computers could help people do some important things, and in fact they have revolutionised life on the continent in many ways. But computers couldn’t cure disease or feed children. And if they couldn’t be turned on, they couldn’t do anything at all. Soon after that, we started our foundation – because the costs of waiting had become clear,” he said.