Bill Gates Speaks About Nigeria's Aliko Dangote

Dangote Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have committed $42m to routine immunisation and strengthening of primary health care in northern states in Nigeria.

World's richest man, Bill Gates, praised Dangote's success in removing Nigeria from the global list of endemic countries in his fight to eradicate polio.

"Aliko is Africa’s richest man, and his business activities drive economic growth across the continent. That’s impressive, but I know him best as a leader constantly in search of ways to bridge the gap between private business and public health. It’s for that reason he helped create the Nigeria Private Sector Health Alliance. And it’s for that reason he is an advocate for agricultural research and malaria control," he wrote in the Times magazine.

"The last time I was in Nigeria, we met with dozens of people, from government leaders to front-line health workers. After I left, Aliko followed up with them to make sure they were doing the work they said they would do. This year, Nigeria is on pace for its lowest number of polio cases ever. Aliko is a big reason why," he said.