Bill Gates to give away fortune by 2045, $200bn for world's poorest
Bill Gates pledged on Thursday to give away almost his entire personal wealth in the next two decades and said the world's poorest would receive about $200bn (R3.62-trillion) via his foundation while governments worldwide are slashing international aid.
The 69-year-old billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said he was speeding up plans to divest his fortune and close the Gates Foundation on December 31 2045.
'People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that 'he died rich' will not be one of them,' Gates wrote in a post on his website.
'There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people.'
In an implicit rebuke to President Donald Trump's slashing of aid from the world's biggest donor the US, Gates' statement said he wanted to help stop newborn babies, children and mothers dying of preventable causes, end diseases such as polio, malaria and measles, and reduce poverty.
'It's unclear whether the world's richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people,' he added, noting cuts from major donors also including the UK and France.
Gates said despite the foundation's deep pockets, progress would not be possible without government support.
He praised the response to aid cuts in Africa, where some governments have reallocated budgets, but said as an example polio would not be eradicated without US funding.
Gates made the announcement on the foundation's 25th anniversary. He set up the organisation with his then-wife Melinda French Gates in 2000 and they were later joined by investor Warren Buffett.
'I have come a long way since I was just a youngster starting a software company with my friend from middle school,' he said.
Since inception, the foundation has given away $100bn (R1.81-trillion), helping to save millions of lives and backing initiatives such as the vaccine group Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
It will close after it spends about 99% of his personal fortune, Gates said. The founders originally expected the foundation to wrap up in the decades after their deaths.
Gates, who is valued at about $108bn (R1.95-trillion) today, expects the foundation to spend about $200bn by 2045, with the final figure dependent on markets and inflation.
The foundation is already a huge player in global health, with an annual budget that will reach $9bn (R163.11bn) by 2026.
It has faced criticism for its outsize power and influence in the field without the requisite accountability, including at the World Health Organisation.
Gates was also subject to conspiracy theories, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He has also spoken to US President Donald Trump several times in recent months on the importance of continued investment in global health.
'I hope other wealthy people consider how much they can accelerate progress for the world's poorest if they increased the pace and scale of their giving, because it is such a profoundly impactful way to give back to society,' Gates wrote.
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