Nigeria recently played host to a gathering of global leaders, innovators, and changemakers at the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers programme.
The event which was held in Lagos, themed “The Future of Progress: Africa in Motion,” showcased African-led innovations and locally-driven solutions with dancers and performers from across the continent and beyond.
The event featured panel discussions, compelling storytelling, and musical performances that celebrated African innovation and context-rooted culture using music among other performances.
One of the notable performances was by rapper, MI Abaga, who serenaded the guests with his duet with Waje on the song, Nigeria, Africa will survive. Dancer Kafayat Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, also added energy with her dance troupe.
Prominent billionaire, Bill Gates, who is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was also in attendance, alongside his friend and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
The curated programme highlighted “changemakers advancing equity, health, and opportunity while fostering African-led innovation and trust-based collaborations for a thriving future.”
Other notable guests in attendance were Chioma, the wife of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
During Gates stay in Nigeria, he was also conferred with the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic.
Photos shared on President Bola Tinubu’s official X account captured key moments from the conferment. In one image, the president is seen engaged in a conversation with Gates. Other visuals show Tinubu wearing the CFR badge on Gates and presenting him with the certificate of conferment. The two also exchanged a warm handshake, smiling broadly as they marked the occasion.
President Tinubu acknowledged Gates’ impactful interventions in maternal health, agriculture, and infectious disease research, particularly within Nigeria and the African continent at large.
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