Gates Foundation Bets on Africa, AI for Global Health

The Gates Foundation is deepening its Africa commitment through a strategic shift toward local institutions, artificial intelligence, and women-centered development. CEO Mark Suzman and Africa Director Paulin Basinga outlined the approach during a partners convening in Nairobi, emphasizing that the foundation's legacy depends on building structures that outlast it by 2045. The foundation has established AI hubs in Rwanda and Senegal, with Kenya discussions underway, while investing in universities and digital infrastructure. A visit to the Revital Healthcare factory in Kilifi highlighted the model: local manufacturing partnerships that emerged from COVID-era shortages and now serve the broader continent with syringes, diagnostics, and newborn care devices.