In a wide-ranging conversation with CEO of Co-Creation Hub Nigeria, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, at the Pan-African Youth Forum 2023, had engaged the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, in a move to discuss the roles of youth in innovation.
Mr. Bill Gates, who visited the country last week said, the investment and participation of the smartest young talent in Nigeria was a key to the growth of the economy, reiterating that, the voice of the Nigerian youth was critical to ensuring that the resources of the country could be shifted to investments in infrastructure, health and education.
Responding to a question from the Co-Creation Hub CEO about his framework for determining what to focus on, Mr. Gates spoke of identifying the huge divide between richer and developing countries, and limited resources going into healthcare as a key factor in what he decided to prioritise. He also spoke about being able to use his unique skill sets in organizing talented teams to work with people with expertise towards delivering impact.
Dr. Tijani, in follow-up remarks, raised a point about the ability of entrepreneurs to deliver impact, while also being able to make revenue. The Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation responded that he believed that if young people were able to apply their strengths, educate themselves and make contributions in the spaces they were passionate about, the path to impact would reveal itself.
The conversation also touched on the impact of AI on education, health,manufacturing and governance. Mr. Gates provided some insight on his personal experience of AI and examples of how it could positively impact different sectors including delivering efficiency in government services and processes.
He suggested that the big win for the continent would be in the application of AI including adapting to languages and unique datasets in healthcare that catered for African realities.
