Called on wealthy nations to dramatically increase foreign aid to Africa and extend debt relief to overburdened African governments

In September 2024, Bill Gates publicly called on wealthy nations to significantly increase foreign development assistance to Africa and to extend meaningful debt relief to African governments whose fiscal space had been severely constrained by interest payments. Gates framed the argument in terms of both moral obligation and geopolitical stability: with African governments unable to invest in health systems, education, or infrastructure because of debt servicing costs, the development gains of the previous two decades were at risk of being reversed — and with them, the demographic conditions that determine whether young Africans can build stable futures on the continent or feel compelled to leave.