Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“Global health and development is crucial.” Earlier this month, on the sidelines of the World Health Summit, Bill Gates sat down with Aminata Belli, Toni Garrn, and a group of Goalkeepers to talk about the importance of funding global health to advance the Global Goals. The world has made incredible progress over the last quarter century—let’s keep the momentum going. #Goalkeepers2030

Women in Kenya and Nigeria have big goals. Making their dreams a reality could transform the global economy. That’s because investing in women is not just an equalizing force—it’s a smart strategy for economic growth. Learn more about #WhatWomenWant and the impact of supporting women’s economic ambitions: https://gates.ly/4hg3QAY

Want to know the best way to support women entrepreneurs? Simply ask. We spoke with over 200,000 women in Kenya and Nigeria to hear what support they need to reach their economic goals. Their ideas ranged from enabling better access to loans and credit to lowering the cost of basic needs. Learn more about #WhatWomenWant: https://gates.ly/4eXmIDn

Last month, Bill Gates visited members of the Ayemi Women’s Affinity Group which is part of the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), a foundation grantee and flagship program to expand access to economic opportunities and increase women’s incomes in Nigeria. Affinity groups, like Ayemi, help women save money, disburse loans, and expand their economic opportunities. Bill also met with members of the Sanasi rice processing and marketing cooperative, which includes women from Ayemi, who provided a demonstration using both traditional methods and improved GEM1 technology—offering higher income returns and reducing health complications they typically sustain during traditional processing methods. The NFWP is funded through The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which provides grants and low-cost loans to low-income countries to invest in health and development programs. Programs like NFWP are critical for giving women a chance to earn and control their own income and improve their own lives and the lives of their families. Fully replenishing IDA means countries can invest in vital programs like this, ensuring they can reach their full potential.

Around the world, women face barriers to pursuing economic opportunities simply because they’re women. This limits their ability to earn and control an income—making it more difficult to provide for their families and escape poverty. The good news is that there are concrete ways government, philanthropies, and economic leaders can knock down these barriers. The World Bank, where I’m currently meeting with leaders and experts on economic power, just announced new commitments to advance women’s economic opportunity, prioritizing key areas that will have a real impact on women’s lives, including: - Enabling 300 million more women to use digital services to pursue economic opportunities; - Supporting 250 million women with critical social protection programs; and - Providing 80 million more women entrepreneurs with capital to open or expand their business. By investing in these areas, more women will be able to pursue and control their own income, leading to profound positive impacts for their families, communities, and countries. #WBGMeetings

This World Polio Day, we celebrate the frontline healthcare workers who are delivering critical innovations like next-generation polio vaccine, nOPV2, to children across the world. This work is helping stop polio outbreaks, and paving the way towards a polio-free future. India’s Biological E. Limited has joined Indonesia’s Bio Farma - Indonesia in the global fight against polio, as a new nOPV2 supplier. With two suppliers on board, we can help ensure every child, everywhere has access lifesaving to polio vaccines. #EndPolio #WorldPolioDay

In our What Women Want survey, we asked 200,000 women in Kenya and Nigeria about their ambitions and the future they envision for themselves. Their responses revealed needs that can be met with targeted solutions—like education and training, better job opportunities, improved health care, family support or sponsorship, and supportive government policies. Access to start-up capital or equipment to spur financial inclusion is a critical place to start. To realize these solutions, leaders, lenders, and philanthropic funders must prioritize replenishing The International Development Association, The World Bank 's fund for the poorest countries. Removing the barriers that stand between women in Africa and their economic power can enrich their life, their communities, and the world. Learn more: https://gates.ly/3YBpl7V

What does women’s economic power mean to you? For Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, women's economic power is about agency—the agency for a woman to control her education, her opportunity, her finances, and her future.     I couldn’t agree more.    We've made meaningful progress towards greater gender equality, but 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity. This is a missed opportunity that we must address to unlock greater economic progress. Watch my full video with Mavis below and tell me what women’s economic power means to you ⬇️ 

200,000 women. One common goal: financial independence. The barriers women face across Africa make it hard to get a fair-paying job, earn and control their own income, access capital, and build or expand a business. To understand how women can claim their economic power, we wanted to hear directly from women themselves. In partnership with White Ribbon Alliance, Nigeria Health Watch, and Rural Women Peace Link, we surveyed hundreds of thousands of women entrepreneurs in Kenya and Nigeria to hear about their ambitions, challenges, and the kinds of support they see as essential for claiming their economic power. Explore their stories and our findings: https://gates.ly/4hg3QAY

We're pleased to announce the official opening of our new regional office in Dakar, Senegal. We're committed to supporting our partners in Senegal and across West Africa, who work tirelessly to improve lives across the region.