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Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has highlighted a pressing concern in Nigeria’s efforts to fund critical sectors like health and education. The country’s tax collection rates, he notes, are surprisingly low, making it tough to allocate sufficient resources to these vital areas.
During his address at Nutrivision 2024, a Pan-African youth dialogue on nutrition in Abuja on Tuesday, Bill Gates identified Nigeria’s tax collection rates as a significant challenge. He stressed that the current rates are not meeting expectations, impacting the government’s capacity to fund critical sectors, including health and education.
During a Q&A session at Nutrivision 2024, a Pan-African youth dialogue on nutrition held in Abuja on Tuesday, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, emphasized the need for Nigeria to boost its tax collection rates. When asked about potential financing mechanisms for large-scale public health interventions, Gates noted that the country’s current tax collection rates are surprisingly low, making it tough to allocate sufficient resources to critical sectors like health and education.
“Over time, there are plans for Nigeria to fund the government more than it does today. The actual tax collection in Nigeria is actually pretty low.
Gates voiced his belief that these initiatives can achieve remarkable success, pointing to his foundation’s partnership with model programs that exemplify prudent financial management and efficient primary healthcare systems. He observed that these systems feature dedicated staff, well-located centers, and effective resource allocation, avoiding both underutilization and overload.
The philanthropist said for citizens to trust the government’s ability to deliver quality healthcare, there must be a commitment to effective management of health programme funds.
Gates underscored the importance of running an efficient primary healthcare system with well-placed and adequately staffed centres.
Read also: Bill Gates Urges Nigeria To Ramp Up Farming To Combat Hunger
He pointed out that gaining credibility in health programs can provide Nigeria with greater financial leeway, allowing the country to prioritize funding for primary healthcare.
“It’s exciting that we are driving the credibility of those health programmes and so that the citizens will feel like primary health care is amongst the priorities that should be very funded as you get some fiscal flexibility,” he added.
Gates is upbeat about Nigeria’s agricultural future, suggesting that with the right investments, the country could make a remarkable shift from relying on food imports to becoming a major force in global food exports.
Gates emphasized that unlocking Nigeria’s agricultural potential hinges on three crucial factors: enhanced credit facilities to empower farmers, comprehensive soil surveys to inform smart farming practices, and expert advisory services to guide farmers toward optimal productivity.
He said, “Nigeria today is a net food importer and yet, given the geography, if the right credit facilities and advice to farmers, soil surveys, things are available, there is the opportunity for Nigeria to more than double its food output, which would be pretty transformative, because it would mean that you would be a net food exporter,” Gates said.
He pointed out that, rather than depleting scarce foreign exchange reserves to import food, Nigeria could generate much-needed revenue by producing its own food, thereby attracting foreign currency.
Gates highlighted the importance of increasing agricultural productivity in rural and northern regions as a means of boosting incomes, reducing inequality, and promoting sustainable economic growth.
