Gates spends $300 ml to fight poverty in E. Africa

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Bill Gates has told reporters his foundation plans to spend more than 300 million US dollars in Tanzania this year on public health and poverty reduction programs.

In an interview, the billionaire said aid was now being spent "in a smarter way" in some parts of the world.

"Some countries have made good progress in the reduction of childhood deaths and reduction in poverty, with Tanzania being a good example," said Gates, during a visit to the east African country.

"I see a chance for the eradication of malaria and HIV/AIDS, but that's gonna take a lot of science and a lot of investment."

File: Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during a discussion on innovation hosted by Reuters in Washington, DC, US, April 18, 2016. /Reuters Photo

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent billions of dollars on aid projects worldwide in recent years, much of it in Africa.

Gates said he was hopeful that the US Congress would continue to resist President Donald Trump's plans to make deep cuts to development aid.

A Republican-led Senate panel last month rejected proposed reductions by the president.

"Trump did propose a big aid cut, but Congress ... pushed back on those proposals. It's clear they may not cut that much aid," he said.

The US government pledged in May to give Tanzania an aid package worth 526 million US dollars this year through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program.

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Source(s): Reuters