Aliko Dangote, Nigeria’s and Africa’s richest man has said that he was not aware that Nigeria had challenges in its health system until he had a chat with Bill Gates.
Speaking at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2019 Goalkeepers’ event in New York, Wednesday, Dangote said that since his talk with Gates, he has been focusing on his country’s healthcare needs, particularly, enabling children to have access to nutritional food.
The Chairman of the Dangote Group said his efforts have helped to shape policy around nutrition in Nigeria.
At the moment, the Federal Government’s policy on food fortification makes it “compulsory for producers of certain products such as rice, sugar, wheat, spaghetti, noodles to include vitamin supplements in their products,” reports Vanguard.
“When I started my foundation in 1994, I never realised we had this massive challenge in the health sector.
“Really, it was mind-boggling when we had this agreement to collaborate with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and that really opened my eyes to realise that there are a lot of challenges in health.
“At that time I didn’t have the opportunity of meeting Bill but meeting Bill changed me into a different person.
“This is somebody that has nothing to do with us in Africa or Nigeria but he is putting his money and his soul into everything.
“He is very committed to helping humanity and that really surprises me a lot and I realised that he is a simple person and I never knew Bill would be this simple. He is a very soft-spoken guy and kind hearted.
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