Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man, said this at the 2019 Goalkeepers’ event hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in New York on Wednesday.
Dangote, who was a discussant alongside Gates, said he had been running the Dangote for over 25 years but he remained impressed by Gates’ philanthropy.
He said he found it amusing that a man who is from America could show so much love to Nigeria and invest in the lives of people he had no relation to.
The industrialist said, “When I started my foundation in 1994, I never realised we had this massive challenge in the health sector.
“Really, it was mind-boggling when we had this agreement to collaborate with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and that really opened my eyes to realise that there are a lot of challenges in health.
“At that time I didnt have the opportunity of meeting Biill but meeting Bill changed me into a different person. This is somebody that has nothing to do with us in Africa or Nigeria but he is putting his money and his soul into everything.
“He is very committed to helping humanity and that really surprises me a lot and I realised that he is a simple person and I never knew Bill would be this simple. He is a very soft-spoken guy and kind hearted.
“It is very difficult to find people like Bill in this world. Bill, we are very grateful and I can assure you that with my association with Bill, my only prayer is that in the next few years, I will try and give my chunk of wealth to charity.”
In his response, Gates thanked Dangote for connecting him with the governors in the North.
The American billionaire noted that he was not a sociable person as he preferred to communicate with people via email.
He, however, said it was Dangote who proved to him that one could make better impact by reaching out to powerful politicians who are in charge of policy.
0 Comments