Latin America must invest more in education: Bill Gates
Latin America can serve as a training ground for solving massive health crises in Africa, but to spur development in the region, countries must invest more in education, says Bill Gates.
By Agencies |
MIAMI BEACH (US): Latin America can serve as a training ground for solving massive health crises in Africa, but to spur development in the region, countries must invest more in education, Bill Gates has said at the annual meeting of the hemisphere's largest development bank.
The Microsoft Corp chairman told Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno that he believes as many as 12 major diseases such as malaria that plague poor Latin American communities could be reduced or eliminated in the coming years through a combination of public-private partnerships.
"Given that the burden of disease is so much higher in Africa, my goal would be to find partners in the region on some of these disease-related issues," the world's third- richest man said. "The initial impact of being able to eliminate some of these diseases is very, very large ... and will be helpful in other areas of the world."
But to eradicate such diseases, Latin America needs more technical know-how and that means better universities, Gates said. He noted that few, if any, Latin American higher learning institutions are listed among the world's top universities.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, based in Seattle, is the world's largest philanthropic organisation with an endowment of USD 38.7 billion as of December 31. So far, it has focused relatively little of its efforts in Latin America.
But Microsoft and the tech business in general is booming in the region, up 20 per cent since last year, with more than 23 million personal computers purchased in 2007, according to Microsoft.
The Microsoft Corp chairman told Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno that he believes as many as 12 major diseases such as malaria that plague poor Latin American communities could be reduced or eliminated in the coming years through a combination of public-private partnerships.
"Given that the burden of disease is so much higher in Africa, my goal would be to find partners in the region on some of these disease-related issues," the world's third- richest man said. "The initial impact of being able to eliminate some of these diseases is very, very large ... and will be helpful in other areas of the world."
But to eradicate such diseases, Latin America needs more technical know-how and that means better universities, Gates said. He noted that few, if any, Latin American higher learning institutions are listed among the world's top universities.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, based in Seattle, is the world's largest philanthropic organisation with an endowment of USD 38.7 billion as of December 31. So far, it has focused relatively little of its efforts in Latin America.
But Microsoft and the tech business in general is booming in the region, up 20 per cent since last year, with more than 23 million personal computers purchased in 2007, according to Microsoft.
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