Bill Gates, Microsoft Co-founder, has said that his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to increasing Nigeria’s agricultural productivity and improved access to health in order to solve the problem of malnutrition in the country.
The American billionaire stated this Tuesday in Abuja at the Pan-African Youth Dialogue on Nutrition, tagged “Nutrivision 2024.”
Gates said Nigeria has huge potential to be a net exporter of food but unfortunately productivity of farmers falls far below its potential.
The Microsoft founder stressed that low cost and better seeds are critical to fighting malnutrition, which affects the growth of children across the country.
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“If you are malnourished, you are at much high risk, if you do get malaria or diarrhoea, you are double at risk of dying of those things. But even if you survive, you are not going to do as well as you deserve to do in your education or any of your activities.
“We see this malnutrition and part of the ways we are going to solve this is by improving agricultural productivity. Malnutrition, part of it, is having access to low-cost foods, particularly milk.
“So, making food more available at low cost, using better seeds and understating that even with the climate change, we can come up with seeds that often contrive with less water or even in cases where you have too much water and be able to still be highly productive,” Gates said.
The billionaire also announced that very soon Nigeria will get supply of three million bottles Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) to bolster the health of unborn babies and their mother to save the lives of thousands of children.
“We’ve shown that MMS could reduce two million cases of maternal anaemia and save the lives of 70,000 babies,” he said.
While speaking in Abuja during the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee ( NTLC) on Primary Health Care Delivery quarterly review meeting, Gates, who acknowledged the progress made in reducing vaccine costs globally, suggested that Nigeria should prioritise the local production of other health products that could offer more immediate benefits.
He commended the country for reaching 86% target in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for girls between 9 and 14 years.
Gates called for continued efforts to combat vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly in the face of new challenges like the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (CBPDD2).
He called for strategic improvements in the effectiveness of vaccination teams, emphasising the need for diligent and trusted individuals at the ward and settlement levels to ensure compliance and follow-up.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, enjoined traditional rulers to begin preparations for a massive cross boarder campaign against circulating polio variants early next month.
The minister said uncontrolled viruses of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) within the country’s borders could also spread to other countries.
He said this underscores the importance of the federal government’s planned cross-border synchronization campaigns with Niger, Chad, and other neighboring countries in October and November this year.
The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency ( NPHCDA) Dr Muyi Aina said the NTLC engagement is not only critical to polio eradication efforts, but also to routine immunization and primary health care ( PHC) interventions.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, also addressed the traditional leaders, emphasising the urgent need for enhanced efforts in the fight against polio.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, expressed appreciation for Gates’ consistent involvement in Nigeria.
The Sultan particularly commended the philanthropist for his frequent visits to Sokoto, which signify his ongoing commitment to improving the health and welfare of the Nigerian people.
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