Bill Gates Raises Alarm Over High Child Mortality in Northern Nigeria.
Philanthropist Bill Gates has sounded the alarm over child mortality in northern Nigeria, revealing that “a kid born in northern Nigeria has a 15% chance of dying before the age of five.”
Speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York on Monday, Gates said the situation highlights the urgency of reversing cuts in global health aid. “The world is at a crossroads, with millions of children at risk of dy+ng if funding drops too steeply. You can either be part of improving that or act like that doesn’t matter,” he warned.
Ahead of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers event, Gates pledged $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. But he stressed that private philanthropy cannot fully cover government shortfalls: “I am not capable of making up what the government cuts, and I don’t want to create an illusion of that.”
Global health funding has dropped sharply, with assistance falling 21% between 2024 and 2025, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Gates warned that without urgent action, progress achieved since 2000 which halved child mortality and saved about five million lives each year could be reversed.
Still, he expressed optimism that the right investments could save millions of lives by 2045, when he plans to have given away almost his entire $200 billion fortune. This, he noted, would require sustained support for organisations like the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as rapid adoption of new innovations such as the long-acting HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir.
“What’s happening to the health of the world’s children is worse than most people realise, but our long-term prospects are better than most people can imagine,” Gates said.
While many countries have reduced support, Spain increased its contributions this year—raising its donation to the Global Fund by 12% and to Gavi by 30%.
Bill Gates Raises Alarm Over High Child Mortality in Northern Nigeria.
Philanthropist Bill Gates has sounded the alarm over child mortality in northern Nigeria, revealing that “a kid born in northern Nigeria has a 15% chance of dying before the age of five.”
Speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York on Monday, Gates said the situation highlights the urgency of reversing cuts in global health aid. “The world is at a crossroads, with millions of children at risk of dy+ng if funding drops too steeply. You can either be part of improving that or act like that doesn’t matter,” he warned.
Ahead of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers event, Gates pledged $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. But he stressed that private philanthropy cannot fully cover government shortfalls: “I am not capable of making up what the government cuts, and I don’t want to create an illusion of that.”
Global health funding has dropped sharply, with assistance falling 21% between 2024 and 2025, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Gates warned that without urgent action, progress achieved since 2000 which halved child mortality and saved about five million lives each year could be reversed.
Still, he expressed optimism that the right investments could save millions of lives by 2045, when he plans to have given away almost his entire $200 billion fortune. This, he noted, would require sustained support for organisations like the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as rapid adoption of new innovations such as the long-acting HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir.
“What’s happening to the health of the world’s children is worse than most people realise, but our long-term prospects are better than most people can imagine,” Gates said.
While many countries have reduced support, Spain increased its contributions this year—raising its donation to the Global Fund by 12% and to Gavi by 30%.
