Africa

We believe that solutions to Africa’s greatest challenges can come from within Africa. Our role is to support African partners whose bold ideas and creative approaches have the potential to save lives, improve health, and help families all across the continent.
A Kenyan family at the Umoja Health Centre in Nairobi.
A Kenyan family at the Umoja Health Centre in Nairobi.

At a glance

  • Working alongside national governments, local organizations, and other partners across Africa, we contribute funding and scientific expertise in support of their goals for change.
  • We focus on countries where we believe we can have the greatest impact.
  • We support a range of programs that work to improve health and nutrition; gender equality; disease prevention, treatment, and research; water, sanitation, and hygiene; agriculture; and financial services for the poor.

Latest updates

Portrait of Nneka Mobisson, Co-Founder and CEO of mDoc, during an outreach program at the Balogun Market in Lagos, Nigeria, on September 14, 2023. mDoc is a social enterprise that integrates proven methodologies in quality improvement and behavioral science with web and mobile-based technology to optimize the end to end care experience for people living with chronic health needs such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.

Out of grief, a daughter's mission to transform healthcare

Nneka Mobisson’s father believed in the power of technology to save lives in Africa. She's honoring his memory by using AI to take on inequalities in healthcare.
A farm worker spreads fertilizer over their rice field in village near Rosso in the Senegal River valley in October 2022.

The war in Ukraine sparked a global food crisis. One year later, here’s where things stand.

Our agriculture expert shares an update on the state of global food security, and why the potential for innovation gives him reason for optimism.
By Enock Chikava Interim Director, Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
A farmer sifts through corn harvested from hybrid drought-resistant maize seed on her smallholder farm in Kenya.

Smallholder farming is a proven path out of poverty, but climate change is changing the rules

Urgent action is needed to help smallholder farmers in places like sub-Saharan Africa adapt to climate change, which is already creating crisis conditions that threaten the livelihoods of millions of people.
By Enock Chikava Interim Director, Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Focus countries

We know that those closest to health and development challenges are in the best position to address them. That is why we work alongside local partners across Africa to contribute funding and scientific expertise in support of their goals for change.

More about our work in Africa

Regional offices

We work across Africa from our regional headquarters in Johannesburg and our offices in Abuja and Addis Ababa.

Fact sheet: Our work in Africa

A brief overview of our priorities in Africa.

Ideas

Read the latest stories, research, and news from across the foundation and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Optimist.