Bill Gates Sounds Alarm: 15% of Northern Nigerian Children Face Risk of Dying Before Age Five

In a poignant address at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York, Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and a passionate philanthropist, issued a stark warning regarding child mortality in Nigeria. He revealed that a staggering 15% of children born in the northern region may not make it to their fifth birthday. This sobering statistic underscores the urgent need for global action as Gates called on governments worldwide to maintain their commitment to health funding, especially in a time when millions of children are at grave risk.

“In this crucial moment, you can either step up and be a part of the solution, or you can choose to ignore a reality that desperately needs our attention,” Gates declared during a compelling interview before his foundation’s annual Goalkeepers event.

To bolster efforts in global health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged an impressive $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. However, Gates firmly noted that philanthropy alone cannot substitute the vital role of government aid, as global development assistance has taken a sharp dive—falling by 21% from 2024 to 2025, marking its lowest point in 15 years.

Gates cautioned that without consistent and sustained support, the progress made since the year 2000 in reducing child mortality rates could be undone. He stressed that saving lives will necessitate strong backing for organizations like the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as groundbreaking innovations like the long-acting HIV prevention drug lenacapavir.

Amidst a backdrop of decreasing health support in many nations, Gates pointed out a beacon of hope: Spain has notably increased its contributions to global health, defying the concerning trend. Since its inception in 2000, the Gates Foundation has remained a tireless advocate for maternal health, childhood disease prevention, and poverty alleviation, continuing to inspire change in the world’s most vulnerable communities.