The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is set to open a regional office in Kenya’s Capital, Nairobi after a green light from the government.
On Tuesday, June 27, President William Ruto’s Cabinet approved the conclusion of a Host Country Agreement with the foundation under Bill Gates and Melinda Gates.
According to a briefing from Kenya’s State House, the cabinet resolved that the new regional offices will present an opportunity for Kenya to accrue more benefits from the non-profit organization.
“The establishment of the Nairobi Sub-Regional office will present opportunities for deeper collaboration with implementing partners and assure more efficient operations in the sub-region,” the briefing read in part.
Once completed, the Nairobi offices will add to the list of other Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s hubs in Africa including Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Johannesburg in South Africa, and Abuja in Nigeria.
At the same time, the sectors set to benefit from the new agreement include agriculture, healthcare, and ICT which have previously received investment from the Foundations.
Bill Gates Visit to Kenya
The approval of the host agreement came months after Bill Gates visited Kenya in November 2022.
Speaking after a meeting with President Ruto, the business magnate noted that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was looking forward to scaling up collaboration with Kenya.
In addition, the partnership will focus on food security and universal health coverage.
“In Kenya, our work focuses on areas of overlap between our expertise and the government’s priorities under the Kenya Vision 2030 development blueprint and the country’s United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which include primary health care and gender equality,” reads a statement on the foundation’s website.
Moreover, Bill Gates committed to channeling over $7 billion toward supporting various programs in African countries- a commitment he reiterated in his recent West African tour in Nigeria and Niger.
The Foundation has over the years established itself as an important partner across Africa, often coming to the support of various countries with its expertise to support development programs.