Bill Gates predicts 2030 poverty breakthrough
In an upbeat annual letter, Bill and Melinda said technology will help lift millions out of poverty
The lives of the poor will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any time in history, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda said.
In their annual letter released yesterday, the couple laid out their upbeat vision for a technology-driven wave of change that will lift hundreds of millions out of poverty by 2030.
The major breakthroughs will be most noticeable in health, but also in agriculture, digital banking and online education, where the Gates Foundation is planning to pour in resources.
"Our big bet is that in the next 15 years, the lives of the poor are going to improve more than at any time in the history of the world," Melinda Gates said.
Child deaths are predicted to be cut by half, polio wiped out while the fight against malaria, a major killer in Africa, would make strides with vaccines and a single-dose cure.
Africa can achieve food security by 2030 with access to innovation in agriculture to help farmers, the couple said in their letter. They have released the so-called vision statements annually since 2009. "Seven out of 10 adults in Africa are farmers. When they get new seeds that are drought-resistant and as the climate changes, they can still get more yield off their farms," said Melinda.
"It means they can feed their families and put the crops on the market."