President Bola Tinubu has presented the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) to Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The recognition took place in Lagos on Tuesday, during an event attended by notable government officials, including Ali Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, and Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group.
The award acknowledges Gates’ significant contributions to global health, education, and poverty alleviation, particularly his strategic partnerships with Nigeria. Gates is in Nigeria to engage with President Tinubu and other senior officials to discuss reforms aimed at improving the country’s primary healthcare system.
Additionally, Gates will participate in a Goalkeepers Nigeria event that explores Africa’s innovation landscape. His agenda includes meetings with local scientists and partners who are shaping Nigeria’s national strategy on artificial intelligence (AI) and enhancing health solutions.
This visit follows the Gates Foundation’s recent commitment to invest $200 billion over the next two decades to support initiatives aimed at saving and improving lives, especially across Africa. The foundation has a history of collaborating with African partners to develop vaccines and strengthen health systems, contributing to the saving of more than 80 million lives through initiatives such as Gavi and the Global Fund to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
