Today, June 22, the vice president of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, and members of the Nigerian Governors Forum met privately at the State House in Abuja with Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Foundation.
According to information obtained by Politics Nigeria, the meeting, which was a part of Gates’ engagements in Nigeria and the Niger Republic, started around 11:43 a.m.
The agenda for the meeting has not yet been made public as of the time of this report.
However, the attendees would take into account opportunities for foundations and the Nigerian government to work together in areas like the health and education sectors.
In order to meet leaders and collaborators in addressing health and development issues, Bill Gates is travelling to Nigeria.
The visit is a part of the Gates Foundation’s commitment to collaborating closely with communities and leaders to support innovation that can help accelerate progress and improve lives throughout Africa, according to a media advisory released by the organisation on Monday, June 19.
In order to learn more about how science and innovation can hasten positive change and contribute to a more promising future for Africa, Gates held interactive conversations with students and young leaders.
Governor Abdulrahman Adbulrazaq of Kwara State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Dr. Umar Radda of Katsina, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto, and Umar Namadi of Jigawa State were all in attendance at the meeting.
The meeting also included the Deputy Governors of the states of Kaduna, Delta, Kano, Plateau, Ebonyi, and Benue, among others.
The meeting was also anticipated to include the governors of Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Edo, Kebbi, Imo, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Rivers, Kogi, Taraba, Yobe, and Gombe.