Melinda and Bill Gates have just announced their divorce. Something to worry about Africa, which saw the foundation of the couple support many initiatives in terms of health, education and women's rights.
"We are disappointed that Donald Trump does not understand to what extent helping African countries to become emerging and stable is a moral obligation as much as a strategic one." In 2018, after presenting the second report of his foundation, Bill Gates declared his love for Africa. It must be said that the Melinda and Bill Gates foundation (MBGF), which is present in 45 countries in Africa, claims to have spent more than $ 50 billion since its creation. On the menu of the MBGF's actions, in particular, vaccination campaigns, campaigns to better control births, schooling and the fight against poverty. More recently, the Gates couple's foundation decided to help several African countries upgrade their health response to Covid-19 and contributed to the Covax initiative, a year after supporting the eradication of wild polio in Africa.
The Gates' mission will continue
The announcement of the divorce of Melinda and Bill Gates therefore logically resonated particularly on the continent and within the bodies that the foundation finances, like the World Health Organization (WHO). The separation risks being costly to the multi-billionaire, and it is therefore understandable to wonder if he will continue to inject his personal funds into his foundation. If the couple have publicly committed to continue to work jointly for the foundation, nothing says that the amount allocated to the actions of the foundation will remain the same. "We still share our faith in this mission and we will continue our common work at the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can progress together as a couple in the next stage of our life", tried to reassure Melinda and Bill Gates in a joint press release.
Warren Buffet still in support
Another reassuring point: Melinda French Gates' desire to remain one of the main figures in global philanthropy, while continuing her fight for women's rights. Bill's now ex-wife was also trying, with her husband, to encourage billionaires to get involved in causes, bequeathing part of their fortune to charity. Thus, with the investor Warren Buffett, Melinda and Bill Gates were at the origin of the Giving Pledge initiative, which goes in this direction. Buffet is one of the foundation's financiers. Beyond the agreement - which has already been found - distribution of the couple's assets, the two Americans could therefore continue to finance their foundation as before. In the meantime, a whole continent is scrutinizing this divorce and crossing its fingers so that the MBGF continues its struggles… with so many resources.