Bill Gates: the view from Seattle

[Guest guest]

Bill Gates: the view from Seattle

Feb 7th 2011, 16:56 by The Economist online

IN THE past five years, Bill and Melinda Gates have given more money and ideas

to Africa than most European countries. They discovered early on that the

problem with philanthropy in Africa was finding partners " on the ground "

reliable enough to do the work and not just suckle on the milksome teat of

Seattle. In response, they have sought to make the most of their giving by

focusing on measurable technologies. In this guest post for Baobab, Mr Gates

argues that the focus of the Gates Foundation should be health and agriculture.

Medicine, especially, is the very hardware of development. He reports that since

1980 vaccines have cut polio in Africa by 99%, diptheria and measles by 93%, and

measles by 85%. Even so, the " wise government investments " on health and

agriculture Mr Gates points to have mostly been designed and paid for by donors.

While giving all credit to unparalleled generosity of wallet and spirit, Baobab

would argue that given the limited time Africa has to take advantage of its

demographic dividend—10 years at most—imaginative philanthropists (and many

others besides) should urgently work to come up with new thinking and

opportunities on urbanisation and new media. Software matters too.

In 1993, Melinda and I took our first trip to Africa. I was working with

Microsoft at the time, and I was convinced that the power of technology could

change the world. But during our visit, I saw that many of the world's

life-saving, life-enhancing discoveries were not available in Africa. That was

deeply upsetting to me. It didn't fit my belief that innovation is for everyone.

I became convinced that if science and technology were better applied to the

challenges of Africa, the tremendous potential of the continent would be

unleashed, and people could be healthier and fulfill their promise.

Since our first visit, many African countries have made striking advances,

driven by wise government investments in health and education and agriculture.

Incomes have risen. Poverty has fallen. Trade and investment have doubled.

Childhood deaths are down. Africa is on the rise. When a country has the skill

and self-confidence to take action against its biggest problems, it makes

outsiders eager to be a part of it. That is why Melinda and I are so optimistic

about our work on the continent. We see the promise.

The principal focus of our foundation is on health. We believe that if children

are healthy, they can learn, become educated, start businesses, improve their

farms, and help their families prosper. In the area of vaccines—the biggest

financial commitment of our foundation—there have been some striking successes.

From 1980 to 2008, vaccines drove diphtheria cases down 93 percent, tetanus

cases down 85 percent, and measles cases down 93 percent.

But if we don't keep moving forward, we quickly fall behind. In the last few

years, we didn't do so well vaccinating for measles, and that led to outbreaks

in 28 countries. This doesn't have to happen. Last year, Melinda went to Malawi

and was inspired to see that frontline, well-trained health care workers helped

the country reach at least 85 percent of all infants with standard vaccines. All

countries should try to match that.

An immediate test is polio. Polio cases have dropped 99 percent. We are on the

threshold of eradicating the disease. But the last few years have given us a

humbling lesson in how difficult it is to eradicate a disease. The answer is a

strong, society-wide partnership of people and their leaders to strengthen

vaccine coverage. We can end polio. We are so close.

We have been especially impressed with Africa's progress on malaria. Ten

countries have dropped cases and deaths by 50 percent. The effort has been a

model of government-citizen action. I hope we can see this same kind of

partnership in other crucial challenges, such as AIDS, vaccines, and

agriculture.

In AIDS, treatment has expanded to 5 million people. That's an impressive

accomplishment. But there are 33 million people living with HIV. Treating every

one of them would cost four times the money currently provided. The maths is

harsh, but inescapable: we cannot defeat AIDS unless we dramatically cut the

number of new cases through prevention.

To do that, we have to make new preventive tools widely available as soon as

possible, especially male circumcision, microbicide gels, and an anti-HIV drug

that blocks infection. The people of Africa and their leaders should demand

these preventive tools now.

Finally, I believe that agriculture—our foundation's second-biggest commitment

after health—offers one of the greatest opportunities in Africa. If African

farmers can use improved seeds and better practices to grow more crops and get

them to market, then millions of families can earn themselves a better living

and a better life.

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, led by a former United Nations

secretary-general, Kofi n, is working to develop and distribute new seeds

that have higher yields and stronger resistance to pests, drought, and disease.

If citizens and their governments ensure that African farmers can use these new

seeds and have all the advantages of recent advances, the farmland of Africa can

become the answer to hunger and poverty—and a trigger for wide economic growth.

Read more of our articles about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

http://www.economist.com/topics/bill-melinda-gates-foundation

[Guest guest]

Bill Gates: the view from Seattle

Feb 7th 2011, 16:56 by The Economist online

IN THE past five years, Bill and Melinda Gates have given more money and ideas

to Africa than most European countries. They discovered early on that the

problem with philanthropy in Africa was finding partners " on the ground "

reliable enough to do the work and not just suckle on the milksome teat of

Seattle. In response, they have sought to make the most of their giving by

focusing on measurable technologies. In this guest post for Baobab, Mr Gates

argues that the focus of the Gates Foundation should be health and agriculture.

Medicine, especially, is the very hardware of development. He reports that since

1980 vaccines have cut polio in Africa by 99%, diptheria and measles by 93%, and

measles by 85%. Even so, the " wise government investments " on health and

agriculture Mr Gates points to have mostly been designed and paid for by donors.

While giving all credit to unparalleled generosity of wallet and spirit, Baobab

would argue that given the limited time Africa has to take advantage of its

demographic dividend—10 years at most—imaginative philanthropists (and many

others besides) should urgently work to come up with new thinking and

opportunities on urbanisation and new media. Software matters too.

In 1993, Melinda and I took our first trip to Africa. I was working with

Microsoft at the time, and I was convinced that the power of technology could

change the world. But during our visit, I saw that many of the world's

life-saving, life-enhancing discoveries were not available in Africa. That was

deeply upsetting to me. It didn't fit my belief that innovation is for everyone.

I became convinced that if science and technology were better applied to the

challenges of Africa, the tremendous potential of the continent would be

unleashed, and people could be healthier and fulfill their promise.

Since our first visit, many African countries have made striking advances,

driven by wise government investments in health and education and agriculture.

Incomes have risen. Poverty has fallen. Trade and investment have doubled.

Childhood deaths are down. Africa is on the rise. When a country has the skill

and self-confidence to take action against its biggest problems, it makes

outsiders eager to be a part of it. That is why Melinda and I are so optimistic

about our work on the continent. We see the promise.

The principal focus of our foundation is on health. We believe that if children

are healthy, they can learn, become educated, start businesses, improve their

farms, and help their families prosper. In the area of vaccines—the biggest

financial commitment of our foundation—there have been some striking successes.

From 1980 to 2008, vaccines drove diphtheria cases down 93 percent, tetanus

cases down 85 percent, and measles cases down 93 percent.

But if we don't keep moving forward, we quickly fall behind. In the last few

years, we didn't do so well vaccinating for measles, and that led to outbreaks

in 28 countries. This doesn't have to happen. Last year, Melinda went to Malawi

and was inspired to see that frontline, well-trained health care workers helped

the country reach at least 85 percent of all infants with standard vaccines. All

countries should try to match that.

An immediate test is polio. Polio cases have dropped 99 percent. We are on the

threshold of eradicating the disease. But the last few years have given us a

humbling lesson in how difficult it is to eradicate a disease. The answer is a

strong, society-wide partnership of people and their leaders to strengthen

vaccine coverage. We can end polio. We are so close.

We have been especially impressed with Africa's progress on malaria. Ten

countries have dropped cases and deaths by 50 percent. The effort has been a

model of government-citizen action. I hope we can see this same kind of

partnership in other crucial challenges, such as AIDS, vaccines, and

agriculture.

In AIDS, treatment has expanded to 5 million people. That's an impressive

accomplishment. But there are 33 million people living with HIV. Treating every

one of them would cost four times the money currently provided. The maths is

harsh, but inescapable: we cannot defeat AIDS unless we dramatically cut the

number of new cases through prevention.

To do that, we have to make new preventive tools widely available as soon as

possible, especially male circumcision, microbicide gels, and an anti-HIV drug

that blocks infection. The people of Africa and their leaders should demand

these preventive tools now.

Finally, I believe that agriculture—our foundation's second-biggest commitment

after health—offers one of the greatest opportunities in Africa. If African

farmers can use improved seeds and better practices to grow more crops and get

them to market, then millions of families can earn themselves a better living

and a better life.

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, led by a former United Nations

secretary-general, Kofi n, is working to develop and distribute new seeds

that have higher yields and stronger resistance to pests, drought, and disease.

If citizens and their governments ensure that African farmers can use these new

seeds and have all the advantages of recent advances, the farmland of Africa can

become the answer to hunger and poverty—and a trigger for wide economic growth.

Read more of our articles about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

http://www.economist.com/topics/bill-melinda-gates-foundation