The President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday conferred the national honour, Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic on billionaire Bill Gates.
He also reaffirmed the strategic partnership on health, education and innovation between the country and the billionaire philanthropist. Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft, and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
The honour is in recognition of his decades-long contributions to global health, education, and poverty alleviation, including strategic partnerships with Nigeria.
President Tinubu also met Dr Ayuba Burki Gufwan, the executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to underscore Nigeria’s progress in eradicating polio.
Present at the honour conferring ceremony in Lagos was Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
A statement from the Gates Foundation, which announced this, said Gates would also participate in a Goalkeepers Nigeria event focused on Africa’s innovation future and meet with local scientists and partners shaping Nigeria’s national strategy on artificial intelligence and scaling up health solutions.
The statement quoted Gates as saying that the siting of offices for the Foundation in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, in addition to the first African office in Ethiopia about 13 years ago, was a great way to strengthen partnerships.
It said that Gates would visit Nigeria from Ethiopia, where he met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and heard how Ethiopia was sustaining the momentum on critical reforms, expanding essential services, and remaining resilient amid shifting global aid dynamics.
