IN THE past five years, Bill and Melinda Gates have given more money and ideas to Africa than most European countries. They discovered early on that the problem with philanthropy in Africa was finding partners "on the ground" reliable enough to do the work and not just suckle on the milksome teat of Seattle. In response, they have sought to make the most of their giving by focusing on measurable technologies. In this guest post for Baobab, Mr Gates argues that the focus of the Gates Foundation should be health and agriculture. Medicine, especially, is the very hardware of development. He reports that since 1980 vaccines have cut polio in Africa by 99%, diptheria and measles by 93%, and measles by 85%. Even so, the "wise government investments" on health and agriculture Mr Gates points to have mostly been designed and paid for by donors. While giving all credit to unparalleled generosity of wallet and spirit, Baobab would argue that given the limited time Africa has to take advantage of its demographic dividend—10 years at most—imaginative philanthropists (and many others besides) should urgently work to come up with new thinking and opportunities on urbanisation and new media. Software matters too.
In 1993, Melinda and I took our first trip to Africa. I was working with Microsoft at the time, and I was convinced that the power of technology could change the world. But during our visit, I saw that many of the world's life-saving, life-enhancing discoveries were not available in Africa. That was deeply upsetting to me. It didn't fit my belief that innovation is for everyone. I became convinced that if science and technology were better applied to the challenges of Africa, the tremendous potential of the continent would be unleashed, and people could be healthier and fulfill their promise.
Since our first visit, many African countries have made striking advances, driven by wise government investments in health and education and agriculture. Incomes have risen. Poverty has fallen. Trade and investment have doubled. Childhood deaths are down. Africa is on the rise. When a country has the skill and self-confidence to take action against its biggest problems, it makes outsiders eager to be a part of it. That is why Melinda and I are so optimistic about our work on the continent. We see the promise.
The principal focus of our foundation is on health. We believe that if children are healthy, they can learn, become educated, start businesses, improve their farms, and help their families prosper. In the area of vaccines—the biggest financial commitment of our foundation—there have been some striking successes. From 1980 to 2008, vaccines drove diphtheria cases down 93 percent, tetanus cases down 85 percent, and measles cases down 93 percent.
But if we don't keep moving forward, we quickly fall behind. In the last few years, we didn't do so well vaccinating for measles, and that led to outbreaks in 28 countries. This doesn't have to happen. Last year, Melinda went to Malawi and was inspired to see that frontline, well-trained health care workers helped the country reach at least 85 percent of all infants with standard vaccines. All countries should try to match that.
An immediate test is polio. Polio cases have dropped 99 percent. We are on the threshold of eradicating the disease. But the last few years have given us a humbling lesson in how difficult it is to eradicate a disease. The answer is a strong, society-wide partnership of people and their leaders to strengthen vaccine coverage. We can end polio. We are so close.
We have been especially impressed with Africa's progress on malaria. Ten countries have dropped cases and deaths by 50 percent. The effort has been a model of government-citizen action. I hope we can see this same kind of partnership in other crucial challenges, such as AIDS, vaccines, and agriculture.
In AIDS, treatment has expanded to 5 million people. That's an impressive accomplishment. But there are 33 million people living with HIV. Treating every one of them would cost four times the money currently provided. The maths is harsh, but inescapable: we cannot defeat AIDS unless we dramatically cut the number of new cases through prevention.
To do that, we have to make new preventive tools widely available as soon as possible, especially male circumcision, microbicide gels, and an anti-HIV drug that blocks infection. The people of Africa and their leaders should demand these preventive tools now.
Finally, I believe that agriculture—our foundation's second-biggest commitment after health—offers one of the greatest opportunities in Africa. If African farmers can use improved seeds and better practices to grow more crops and get them to market, then millions of families can earn themselves a better living and a better life.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, led by a former United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, is working to develop and distribute new seeds that have higher yields and stronger resistance to pests, drought, and disease. If citizens and their governments ensure that African farmers can use these new seeds and have all the advantages of recent advances, the farmland of Africa can become the answer to hunger and poverty—and a trigger for wide economic growth.
