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 Speaking to Reuters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Gates said
the foundation planned to spend $5 billion in Africa in the next
five years. The Horn of Africa country is one of the biggest
recipients of funds from the foundation.
"Our big priority is health and there is still a lot to be done. The
child mortality rate came down from 1990 to the present - it was cut
in half, which is fantastic. But that still leaves far too many
children dying," he said, referring to pneumonia, diarrhea and other
illnesses.
Turning to HIV/AIDS, Gates said much had been achieved such as an
increase in the number of people under treatment for the disease to
12 million globally. But he noted two-thirds of new HIV/AIDS
infections continued to take place in Africa.
"It is a mixed situation," he said. "We have a challenge to bring
the numbers down."
The philanthropic organization formed in 2000 by the world's richest
man has an endowment of more than $40 billion. It distributed grants
of nearly $4 billion in 2014.
Slumping commodity prices have posed serious challenges to economic
and political stability in some African countries, and have slowed
the momentum of poverty reduction.
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But Gates said infrastructure, education and health investment
during the boom years had laid solid foundations.
The commodity slump will slow down the pace of development, "but the
direction is largely going the right way," he added.
(Editing by George Obulutsa and Alexandra Hudson)
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