Bill Gates to give away fortune by 2045, $200 billion for world's poorest

Bill Gates pledged on Thursday to give away almost his entire personal wealth in the next two decades and said the world's poorest would receive some $200 billion via his foundation at a time when governments worldwide are slashing international aid.

The 69-year-old billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said he was speeding up plans to divest his fortune and close the Gates Foundation on Dec. 31, 2045.

"People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that 'he died rich' will not be one of them," Gates wrote in a post on his website.

"There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people."

Gates' statement said he wanted to help stop newborn babies, children and mothers dying of preventable causes, end diseases like polio, malaria and measles, and reduce poverty.

"It's unclear whether the world’s richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people," he added, noting cuts from major donors also including the U.K. and France."


AFP