Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has called on the world’s richest nations to increase their support for African countries, which have been sidelined as development funds increasingly shift toward addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“There’s less money going to Africa at a time when they need it,” Gates emphasized during an interview, pointing out the critical needs for debt relief, vaccinations, and efforts to combat malnutrition. He noted that while global aid has increased in some areas, the amount allocated to African nations has seen a sharp decline.

The backdrop to Gates’ remarks was the release of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeeper’s report. This report, published Tuesday, examines global progress on the development goals established in 2015, with a particular focus on a subset of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These include critical areas such as health and nutrition, which remain top priorities for the Gates Foundation — one of the largest global health funding organizations.

This year’s report highlights child malnutrition, an issue the foundation warns will worsen due to climate change in the coming years.

To counter this, the Gates Foundation advocates for the broader use of fortified foods, high-quality prenatal vitamins, and increased access to safer dairy products as ways to combat malnutrition.

Despite some progress, the fight against child malnutrition, which leaves children stunted and unable to reach their full potential, is not advancing quickly enough, particularly in the world’s poorest regions.

“I’m An Optimist”, Gates On Global Health Future

Habtamu Fekadu, a leading nutrition expert at Save the Children, echoed these concerns, stating that scaling up prevention efforts is critical.

The most effective and affordable intervention, he stressed, is encouraging mothers to exclusively breastfeed their infants during the first six months of life. This simple action could save countless lives and reduce the devastating long-term effects of malnutrition.

Despite the setbacks in reaching many of the 2015 development goals, Gates remains optimistic. “I’m an optimist,” he wrote in the report. “I think we can give global health a second act — even in a world where competing challenges require governments to stretch their budgets.”

According to preliminary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), development assistance from the wealthiest nations has increased yearly since 2019.

However, aid directed to African countries dropped to a 20-year low in 2022, making up only 25% of the total aid funds. This decrease comes at a time when many African nations are grappling with rising debt, diverting resources away from essential services like healthcare and education.

The United Nations reported in June that this debt burden limits the ability of many low- and middle-income countries to invest in critical areas, including climate action. Rising interest rates have further exacerbated the situation, making it harder for countries to service their debts.

Gates Calls For Renewed Debt Relief

When asked whether his foundation would advocate for debt relief, Gates referred to the 2005 debt cancellation initiative, when world leaders agreed to erase $40 billion in debts owed by the poorest nations to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. “In a just world, you would see a movement emerge on behalf of these poorest countries to have that happen again,” Gates said.

While Gates has championed global development goals for years, this year marks a significant shift in the foundation’s leadership. His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, who co-authored previous reports, was absent from this year’s edition.

She stepped down as co-chair in May, leaving Gates as the foundation’s sole principal. Warren Buffett, another long-time supporter, also left the board in 2021, though he continues to praise both Gates and French Gates. Buffett has donated over $43 billion to the foundation since 2006.